This is the smallest Indian reservation in the United States.
The Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe once had a major presence in western Connecticut. Their land was slowly chipped away by an overseer who was not a part of the tribe, but was assigned by the state. There is a long and dramatic history of the relationship between the tribe and the town, state, and federal governments.
The tribe's website no longer exists, but some passages from it are preserved on the excellent site CTMQ.org.
"Despite all of the money which should have belonged to the Tribe, by 1841, there was only slightly over $ 1,000. In that year a 19 1/4 acre lot was purchased for the Tribe in Trumbull. By 1849, for reasons that are not clear, the overseer for the Tribe sold this property and, again, the Tribe was without a land base.
This continued for another generation. After a number of years as a seaman, William Sherman returned to his ancient Tribal territory in the early 1850’s and he became a day laborer in the Nichols section of Trumbull. From 1857 to 1877 he kept a daily diary showing the job which he performed. He literally saved his pennies for 25 years and in 1875 William Sherman purchased 1/4 acre in Trumbull, directly across the street from the 19 3/4 acre lot.
In 1886, William Sherman gave the title to the 1/4 acre to the overseer for the Tribe to be, held in trust for the Tribe forever. That 1/4 acre is the site of the Golden Hill. Reservation, which is the smallest Indian reservation in the United States and one of the oldest. This tiny reservation has been the home of the chief and the center of tribal affairs for over one hundred years."
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There have been attempts in 1939 and 1975 to take this small property away from the tribe but the chiefs of the tribe refused to move. They are recognized by the state but are still fighting for federal recognition.
The most recent chief, Chief Quiet Hawk, died on April 26, 2021.
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The property is private and is occupied by a family belonging to the tribe. The tribe's former website is gone but they do have a facebook page here: (
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For more information about this tribe, you can read excellent articles by Connecticut Museum Quest (https://www.ctmq.org/golden-hill-paugussett-reservation/) and the Bridgeport Public Library (https://bportlibrary.org/hc/south-end/the-golden-hill-paugussett-tribe/#prettyPhoto), as well as a Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Hill_Paugussett_Indian_Nation).