In 1971 AIM assisted the Lac Court Oreilles band of Ojibwe in a takeover of the Winter Dam in Wisconsin. Activists were fighting to block renewal of the dam’s license, which had been controversial from the time it opened. The takeover led to extended negotiations. A final agreement, signed in 1985, restored some reservation land, included cash compensation, and gave the tribe the opportunity to construct a hydroelectric plant to generate power.

Photograph by and courtesy of Dick Bancroft