Williams v. Chicago, 242 U.S. 434 (1917)
U.S. Supreme Court
Williams v. Chicago, 242 U.S. 434 (1917)
Williams v. Chicago
No. 128
Argued December 22, 1916
Decided January 8, 1917
242 U.S. 434
Syllabus
At the date of the Treaty of Greenville, August 3, 1795, 7 Stat. 49, the right of the Pottawatomie Nation in lands on and near the shore of Lake Michigan now in Illinois was no more than a right of occupation.
If the occupancy ever extended to lands formerly submerged in the lake such as are the subject of this litigation, the Court notices historically
that it was long ago abandoned and that, for more than half a century, no pretense of such occupancy has been made by the tribe. The treaty did no more than confirm the tribal right of occupancy, and, when that was abandoned, all interest of the tribe and its members was terminated.
The case is stated in the opinion.