LOWER BRULE
INDIAN RESERVATION
The Lower Brule Indian Reservation was originally
located southwest of present day Oacoma
covering the rolling hills and flatlands above what Lyman Countians know today
as the Dude Ranch
area. An Indian agency issue house was established on the reservation by the
Federal Government.
A treaty was signed by the chiefs and governmental officials in March of 1879
when the land was opened for homesteading and the reservation was moved north of
Oacoma to along the banks of the Missouri River.
The reservation, originally 472,550 acres, was moved back in the 1960s when the Missouri River was dammed and the area was flooded. The reservation’s industry is their 4,200 acre farm in the Big Bend area where they have grown and marketed popcorn, kidney, pinto and navy beans since the late 80s, as well as their casino which has been in operation since the mid 1990s. Buffalo and elk roam the hills to the delight of their tourists and hunters from across the nation. In late 1999, Lower Brule hooked up to rural water.