Fort Hall Indian Reservation
The Fort Hall Reservation – Home of the Shoshone-Bannock Festival held the second weekend in August.
A great deal has changed for the first Americans over centuries, but a great deal has remained the same. The Shoshone and Bannock tribes were granted 1.8 million acres in Eastern Idaho under the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868. Survey errors, treaties, and promises both kept and broken moved the boundaries of the tribal lands to as little as 418 thousand acres and back to their present area of almost 544 thousand acres.
You are welcome to our home. There are parts of the reservation off limits to casual visits in an effort to protect the ecology of the Snake River Plain. We hope you will find our Reservation educational and interesting. In addition to being home to the tribes, the reservation holds several industries which will benefit the traveler. A must see is a collection of Native American art and artifacts at an unusual shop called The Clothes Horse. Over generations the Shoshone Bannock tribes have developed a particular style and quality which is considered world class, some of their pieces are on display at the Smithsonian.
Your first stop, the Shoshone Bannock Tribal Museum!
The museum is open from 10 am till 6 pm April through October and until 5 pm November through March.
The Shoshone Bannock Tribal Museum tells the story of the tribes and of the west. For example most residents of the United States have heard of the explorers Lewis & Clark. Did you know they were guided by a Lemhi Shoshone woman named Sacajawea? The Shoshone Bannock Indian Festival and All Indian Rodeo is the second weekend of August each year. Tribes from the United States and Canada gather for this four day celebration. The public is welcome and there is a small admission fee. The tribes also exercise sovereign status in the operation of gaming. East Idaho’s only High Stakes Bingo, with up to $2,000,000 in prizes is found at I-15’s Exit 80, and Casinos featuring electronic lucky tab machines are at Exit 80 and I-86’s Exit 52. Some of the machines operate in French and Spanish as well as English.
Randy’L Teton is of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho and is the “Youngest & Only Living Model on U.S. Currency”. Visit her website to learn more about Randy’L and the coin!
It’s Her Story: Sacajawea
A story written by Randy’L Teton and illustrated by tribal artist Aly McKnight. It’s Her Story: Sacajawea is a children’s graphic novel written about Sacajawea’s journey from a tribal perspective.
Shoshone-Bannock Tribe
PO Box 368
Fort Hall, Idaho 83203
Phone: (208) 237-8433 Option 3
Toll Free:1-800-806-9229
Shoshone Bannock Casino Hotel
Shoshone Bannock Tribes Website