Since 1934, Grand Portage has been one of the six bands of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, which wrote a constitution and initiated its new government in 1936. In the federal 2020 census, the reservation had a population of 618.[1] The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe reported in July 2007 that Grand Portage had 1,127 people enrolled in the band.[2]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Grand Portage reservation has a total area of 75.7 square miles (196 km2), of which 74.47 square miles (192.9 km2) is land and 1.23 square miles (3.2 km2) is water.[3] The Grand Portage Band also had 0.056 square miles (36 acres; 0.15 km2) of off-reservation trust land as of 2020.
Demographics
As of the census of 2020,[1] the total population living on the reservation was 618. The population density was 8.3 inhabitants per square mile (3.2/km2). There were 328 housing units at an average density of 4.4 per square mile (1.7/km2). The racial makeup of the reservation was 63.1% Native American, 24.3% White, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 11.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, Minnesota returned ownership of the 300-acre (1.2 km2) Grand Portage State Park to the Chippewa Band, which was lost more than 50 years ago in a tax forfeiture. In a unique arrangement in the state, this is the only state park to be managed jointly by the state and an American Indian band. The park includes a 120-foot high waterfall, which has been a landmark for centuries. The band employs its members as staff of the park.[4]
