The Sokaogon Chippewa and Forest County Potawatomi Communities are celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the Crandon Mine purchase.
In the early 70s, there was a buzz in the Crandon area.
Large deposits of copper and zinc were found in the area which would become known as the Crandon Mine.
The Exxon Corporation and the Canadian mining company Rio Algom formed the Crandon Mining Company.
In 1975, the company announced it was applying for permits to open a mine.
Mining advocates were hopeful the deposit would be an economic boom to Forest County.
The issue for the Tribes in the region as well as environmentalists and sportsmen was the location.
Its deposits were at the head of the Wolf River, a mile upstream of the Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa’s wild rice beds, and five miles from the Forest County Potawatomi Reservation.
They feared the metallic sulfur mining would destroy the rice beds and ruin the river and surrounding land.
Back then, current Forest County Potawatomi Attorney General and tribal member Jeff Crawford was a kid growing up in Laona.
WXPR’s Katie Thoresen spoke with Crawford who helped the tribes stop the mining operation and protect the land. Listen to the interview above.
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community and Forest County Potawatomi are holding a 20th Anniversary celebration all day Saturday
It starts at 9:00 a.m. at the Mole Lake Casino Lodge Conference Center. The celebration will move to the Forest County Potawatomi Community Center at 1:00 p.m.
