MOORHEAD, Minn. (KFGO) – White Earth Nation has shared plans to build a casino near Moorhead with the Clay County Commission.
It would be on nearly 300 acres of land along the Interstate 94 Sabin exit for State Highway 336.
“Tribal council’s moving forward with an 80 acre trust application concept. We’re working on that platting, the title work, the easements,” Matthews said.
Matthews said that was suggested by Bureau of Indian Affairs officials.
If the United States Interior Department and Minnesota’s governor approve a trust application, it would allow tribal gaming off the White Earth Reservation.
Jacob Severson with White Earth’s Real Estate Acquisitions Department said he hopes to get the casino project approved by federal and state officials in 18 to 36 months.
Severson added the tribe has already done a gaming feasibility study, a socioeconomic impact analysis.
The tribe has also asked officials with the county, cities of Moorhead and Dilworth, and Glyndon Township to form a working committee to discuss a cooperative aid agreement if the land is put into a trust.
White Earth officials are looking into possibly building new roads as part of the project.
“The county currently has a five-year plan and I know the township has their own issues with their township roads. It’s a 10-year process to even get things in. It just reiterates why the sooner the better conversations on this to find what could or couldn’t work,” County Commissioner Jenny Mongeau said.
Matthews said he met with Minnesota Department of Transportation officials about the tribe’s plans briefly a couple months ago.
“Some of the staff there said ‘Have you met with the state yet? Because we don’t have money for doing studies like that.’ We haven’t even done that yet. We haven’t had a formal, big meeting with MNDOT yet because we know that this is a very important corridor for them and for the project that was just done. There was a big study that was done in the community after the [Hwy.] 336 investment occurred,” Matthews said.
Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks sent the Clay County Commission a letter in March 2025 for then Board Chair Kevin Campbell to sign. It said the commission would support the tribe’s application to transfer 280 acres of land into a trust. That was sent before White Earth officials gave a public presentation on the project at a county commission meeting.
Campbell didn’t sign it.
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