Precontact to 18th century The Tuscarora tribe had migrated in ancient times from the
New York area to the South, where they were based in the Carolinas. After an extended conflict with European settlers and other Native Americans at the beginning of the 18th century and defeat in the
Tuscarora War, most of the tribe migrated North, beginning in 1722.
19th century They first located in the territory of the
Oneida tribe in central New York. By 1765, they declared their tribe fully relocated and said that remnant Tuscarora who stayed in the South would no longer be considered part of the tribe. The Tuscarora and Oneida became allies of the American Continental cause during the
American Revolution, and of the United States during the
War of 1812. During both wars, they suffered attacks by British armed forces and their First Nations allies in central
New York. The
Tuscarora were given land from the
Seneca tribe (territory which they had taken from the
Neutral Nation in the
Beaver Wars of the mid-17th century) in 1797. In 1803, the US government granted the Tuscarora a reservation in Niagara County.
University at Buffalo head football coach
Frank Mount Pleasant was born on the reservation in 1884.
20th century In 1960, through the efforts of the powerful appointed official,
Robert Moses of
New York City,
New York State seized of the Tuscarora reservation to form a reservoir for the
Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant operated by the
New York Power Authority. New York needed but only received and had to pay $1,500 per acre per a
United States Supreme Court Decision. This led to a displacement of tribal members and a serious disruption to their economy. After a lengthy court case and appeals, in 2003, the Power Authority agreed to compensate the tribe financially and return some unused land.
21st century On October 26, 2019, it was reported that a Niagara Power Project lost more than 600 acres when Robert Moses flooded the land to create a reservoir. From that time on the Reservation experienced and continues to experience a
water shortage with the reservation now sitting on top of the highest point in Niagara. " In 2012, 14 out of 15 wells tested positive for lead; 139 wells were tested for harmful bacteria and 69% tested positive for Total Coliforms, while 22% came back positive for E. coli." ==Geography==