In the mid-1700s, the ancestors of today's Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe settled near Lake Mille Lacs in what is now Central Minnesota and established a way of life that the Band continues to preserve. The Ojibwe hunted, fished, gathered wild rice and taught their children a profound respect for nature. They endured hardship and poverty in the face of pressures from the non-Indian culture, but they worked hard and dreamed of a better future.

In 1988, the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act helped those dreams become a reality. The Mille Lacs Band opened Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley in 1991 and 1992, creating thousands of jobs and generating revenues that benefit the Band, its nearly 3,600 members, and its non-Indian neighbors.