Wind River Indian Reservation | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wind River Range | |
 Flag  Flag | |
 Location in Wyoming | |
| Tribes | Eastern Shoshone Northern Arapaho |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming |
| Counties | Fremont Hot Springs |
| Headquarters | Fort Washakie |
| Government | |
| • Body | Business Councils |
| • Chairman | John St. Clair (Eastern Shoshone) Jordan Dresser (Northern Arapaho) |
| • Co-Chairman | John Washakie (Eastern Shoshone) Lee Spoonhunter (Northern Arapaho) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,532.010 sq mi (9,147.86 km2) |
| • Land | 3,473.272 sq mi (8,995.73 km2) |
| Population (2017)[3] | |
| • Total | 27,088 |
| • Density | 7.7/sq mi (3.0/km2) |
| GDP | $590.8 Million (2018) |
| Website | easternshoshone northernarapaho |
The Wind River Indian Reservation, in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, is shared by two Native American tribes, the Eastern Shoshone (Shoshoni: Gweechoon Deka, meaning: "buffalo eaters")[4] and the Northern Arapaho (Arapaho: hoteiniiciiheheʼ).[5] Roughly 60 mi (97 km) east to west by 50 mi (80 km) north to south, the Indian reservation is located in the Wind River Basin, and includes portions of the Wind River Range, Owl Creek Mountains, and Absaroka Range.
The Wind River Indian Reservation is the seventh-largest American Indian reservation in the United States by area and the fifth-largest[6] by population. The land area is approximately 2.2 million acres (3,438 sq mi; 8,903 km2), and the total area (land and water) is 3,532.01 square miles (9,147.9 km2). The reservation constitutes just over one-third of Fremont County and over one-fifth of Hot Springs County.[7]
The 2000 census reported the population of Fremont County as 40,237. According to the 2010 census,[8] only 26,490 people now live on the reservation, with about 15,000 of the residents being non-Indians on ceded lands and the town of Riverton. Tribal headquarters are located at Fort Washakie. The Shoshone Rose Casino (Eastern Shoshone) and the Wind River Hotel and Casino, Little Wind Casino, and 789 Smoke Shop and Casino (all Northern Arapaho) are the only casinos in Wyoming.
- ^ "Business Council". Northern Arapahoe Tribe. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Business Council". Eastern Shoshone Tribe. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "My Tribal Area". 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. United States Census Bureau.
- ^ Eskins, Julia. "How the Return of Bison Connects Travelers with Native Cultures." Travel. National Geographic, November 19, 2021. Link.
- ^ University of Colorado Boulder, Arapaho Lexical Dictionary, "Wind River", Link
- ^ Pariona, Amber (June 5, 2018). "Biggest Indian Reservations in the United States". WorldAtlas. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "2000 Census". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 29, 2009.
- ^ "NCAI Rocky Mountain Region: Montana, Wyoming" (PDF). National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved September 30, 2020.