Four Winds Casino Opens; Pokagon Dream Becomes Reality

MICHIGAN-- As reported by the South Bend Tribune: "In one respect, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, based in Dowagiac, and the casino the tribe will open this week near New Buffalo are
Artist's rendering of the new Pokagon Four Winds Casino.  a perfect match.

"Perhaps no group in the area is as accustomed to beating the odds as the tribe.

"For centuries, ancestors of the tribe's roughly 3,200 members, two-thirds of whom still make their homes in southwestern Michigan and northwestern Indiana, endured hardships from Mother Nature and warring tribes.

"...Through the foresight of Leopold Pokagon, the band's chief for 42 years, the tribe managed to retain a presence in Michigan about the same time the territory became a state.

"...Like many tribes, the Pokagons then voted to pursue the economic benefits of a casino, planned for New Buffalo Township.

"...Casino opponents, fearful of the effect of the $400 million development on the quiet, Lake Michigan resort town with a population of 2,200, filed a series of lawsuits that put the development on hold.

"Only now, 13 years later, is the Four Winds Casino Resort a reality -- actually, a very large reality. Gamblers will roam 130,000 square feet of gambling space and select from 3,000 slot machines and 100 tables games, including poker.

"Six restaurants, a 165-room and suite hotel and a 2,200-space parking garage round out the mix..."