Tribal nation in Sawyer County
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation
- County
- Sawyer County
The Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Reservation is the homeland of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin (Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing), a federally recognized Ojibwe tribe whose reservation lies mostly in Sawyer County near Hayward and was established under the second Treaty of La Pointe in 1854. It totals 76,465 acres (about 108 square miles including trust land), of which roughly 10,500 acres are lakes, and it reported a 2020 Census resident population of 2,968 with about 7,275 enrolled members. The Band governs through a seven-member elected Tribal Governing Board that meets weekly, and the tribal government with its enterprises, led by Sevenwinds Casino, is the largest employer in Sawyer County (about 900 people). LCO also anchors a distinctive education corridor: the LCO Ojibwe K-12 School, Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion Charter School, and the LCO Ojibwe University tribal college, plus WOJB community public radio.
The record
4 records name Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation
- New Language and Culture Division Director Focuses on Reconnection, Accssibility – The Official Website of Lac Courte Oreilles News July 2, 2026 via lco-nsn.gov
- Boards and Committees – The Official Website of Lac Courte Oreilles News May 11, 2026 via lco-nsn.gov
- TGB – The Official Website of Lac Courte Oreilles News March 23, 2026 via lco-nsn.gov
- NewsroomTest – The Official Website of Lac Courte Oreilles News March 5, 2026 via lco-nsn.gov
What the records show
36 of 42 independently verified
Authoritative data
- Sawyer County holds 247 named lakes and flowages via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
Overview
- Name: Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin (Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing) via dpi.wi.gov
- Type: federally recognized tribe; reservation established under the Treaty of La Pointe (1854) via en.wikipedia.org
- County: Sawyer County (primary); trust land in Burnett, Washburn, Rusk via dpi.wi.gov
- Acreage: 76465 via dpi.wi.gov
- Land area: 108.3 via censusreporter.org
- Coords: 45.87, -91.35 unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
Population and demographics
- 2020: 2968 via en.wikipedia.org
- Acs: 3046 via censusreporter.org
- Mhi: 43261 via censusreporter.org
- Pci: 29806 via censusreporter.org
- Age: 41 via censusreporter.org
- Households: 1448 via censusreporter.org
- Race: 72.3% Native American via en.wikipedia.org
- Members: 7275 via dpi.wi.gov
- Seasonal: small year-round; large summer increase unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
Government and civic
- Form: 7-member Tribal Governing Board (meets weekly) via dpi.wi.gov
- Elections: June elections every odd year; 4-year staggered terms via dpi.wi.gov
- Site: lco-nsn.gov; 13394 W. Trepania Road, Hayward, WI 54843; 715-634-8934 via lco-nsn.gov
- Notices: lco-nsn.gov (LCO Events Calendar / notices) via lco-nsn.gov
- Chair: Tribal Governing Board Chairperson unverified via dpi.wi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
Schools
- Lco: 330 via dpi.wi.gov
- Immersion: 28 via dpi.wi.gov
- College: 550 via dpi.wi.gov
- Public district: Hayward Community School District via nces.ed.gov
Economy and employers
- Employer top: 900 via dpi.wi.gov
- Casino: Sevenwinds Casino / The Landing Resort via lco-nsn.gov
- Enterprises: Big Fish Golf Club; LCO Federal Credit Union; LCO Financial Services; Pineview Funeral Services; WOJB via lco-nsn.gov
- Tourism: tourism (lakes, gaming, golf, cultural) via lco-nsn.gov
Institutions and anchors
- Health: LCO Community Health Center (with Mushkiki walk-in clinic) via dpi.wi.gov
- University: LCO Ojibwe University (LCOOCC) via lco-nsn.gov
- Radio: WOJB (est. 1982) via wojb.org
Business and commerce
- Identity: casino/resort + golf + tribal enterprises (Hayward is retail hub) via lco-nsn.gov
Media
- Wojb: WOJB 88.9 FM (wojb.org) via wojb.org
- Fcc: Licensee: Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Public; Reserve, WI via publicfiles.fcc.gov
- Sawyer record: Sawyer County Record (apg-wi.com) via apg-wi.com
Recreation and natural assets
- Lakes: 10500 via dpi.wi.gov
- Known: Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing / Hayward Lakes (Ojibwe cultural tradition) via en.wikipedia.org
Events and seasonal rhythm
- Powwow: Honor the Earth Powwow (July) unverified via lco-nsn.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
Infrastructure and access
- Hub: Hayward (adjacent); Ashland/Rhinelander farther via dpi.wi.gov
- Hwy: US 63; WIS 27; WIS 70 unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
- Airport: Sawyer County Airport (HYR), Hayward unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
Local government
Every figure here traces to a primary public record, linked at the fact. We gather and cite; we do not author. See something off? Tell us.