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SOUTH YANKTON — After a 17-year legal and administrative process, the Santee Sioux Nation has secured federal trust status for a five-acre parcel in South Yankton, marking the tribe’s first acquisition of trust land in Cedar County since the reservation was established more than 160 years ago.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs finalized the transfer Nov. 14, placing the property — located along U.S. Highway 81 just south of Yankton — into trust for the tribe and formally designating it as Indian Country under federal law.
The designation takes this tract of land off of the Cedar County property tax rolls.
The designation brings the land under tribal and federal jurisdiction and represents a major milestone for the Santee Sioux Nation, which was forcibly relocated to northeast Nebraska following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
Tribal leaders and community members gathered Thursday morning outside the Feather Hill Express convenience store and fuel plaza — formerly South Yankton Shop-EZ — for a public dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing the completion of the long-running effort.
Besides being home to the Feather Hill Express retail location, a branch of Farmers and Merchants State Bank is also located on the property. Tribal officials said existing businesses will continue operating at the site.
The trust designation carries economic and legal significance, allowing the tribe greater autonomy over development decisions and opening the door to expanded economic opportunities. Tribal leaders said the move supports long-term goals of self-sufficiency and economic stability.
The South Yankton property also holds historical importance.
According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the Santee Sioux Nation was removed from its ancestral lands in Minnesota following the 1862 conflict, after which the tribe was relocated to what later became its reservation in Knox County.
While the reservation once encompassed roughly 115,000 acres, most of that land was lost through the federal allotment process under the Dawes Act of 1887, which transferred millions of acres of tribal land nationwide into non-Native ownership.
The South Yankton acquisition marks the first time since 1863 that the Santee Sioux Nation has added trust land beyond the boundaries of its original reservation, underscoring the significance of the Cedar County site.
Tribal leaders said the land’s trust status provides long-term stability and flexibility for future development. Possibilities discussed include expanded retail operations and additional commercial uses tied to the tribe’s growing business portfolio.
The South Yankton location is one of three Feather Hill Express sites now operating on Santee Sioux Nation trust land, joining locations in Santee and near the Ohiya Casino & Resort by Niobrara.
