Reservations

Montana: Rocky Boy Reservation

About the Chippewa-Cree: Originally living in Canada, a small group of Cree broke off and migrated south in the late 1800s. These Indians eventually combined with a tribe of nomadic Chippewa led by Chief Rocky Boy.

History of the Reservation: A Congressional Statute in 1916 created the Rocky Boy Reservation as part of the former Fort Assiniboine Military Reserve. The Rocky Boy Reservation, the smallest in Montana, is located in the Bear Paw Mountains in north-central Montana.

Life on the Reservation: Agriculture, ranching, and forestry sustain the Tribe’s economy, and the Tribe also owns a ski area and a steel manufacturing facility. Despite these activities, almost half of the Reservation’s population lives in poverty. Access to resources is a significant problem for the residents on this reservation. Most of the residents live far away from towns and services. Unemployment is high due to the limited number of available jobs.

Rocky Boy on the map: North Central Montana.