The Leech Lake Indian Reservation and the Chippewa National Forest share almost 2,000 miles of boundary and 44% of the Chippewa National Forest lies within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. Leech Lake also retains its name except that it is a translation of the Ojibwe name (Ozagaskwaajimekaag-zaaga’igan/Abundant with Leeches Lake). It is interesting to learn that Lake Winnibigoshish retains much of its Ojibwe name (Wiinibiigoonzhish-zaaga’igan/Little Stagnant Murky Lake), as does the Mississippi River (Misi-ziibi/Great River), and that there are at least six names for the Mississippi in Ojibwe. The Headwaters region of the Mississippi River includes parts of the Chippewa National Forest and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. If you get a chance visit one of these sites, you’ll be part of this long historical journey too! The South Pike Bay Campground, on the Walker District, and the Williams Narrows Campground, on the Deer River District, are also places where people have camped for thousands of years. Archaeological excavations at this site have found stone tools and fish bone that show people have camped and fished here for as many as 10,000 years. The Bimijiwan Recreation Area, located off the Scenic Highway (Beltrami County Highway 39) in the Blackduck District, is currently a campground and boat launch where people gather to camp and fish. Several locations on the Forest illustrate the long term and current use of the land. Today, nearly half of the National Forest falls within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation. The ancestors of the Dakota and Ojibwe occupied this region for thousands of years before the Chippewa National Forest was created. Update on Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act
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