Uncasville is a village in thetown ofMontville,Connecticut, United States.[1] It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of theOxoboxo River where it flows into theThames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the east end of Montville, which is the area served by the UncasvilleZIP Code (06382).
In 1994, the federal government officially recognized theMohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut, which had historically occupied this area as part of its traditional territory. That year Congress passed theMohegan Nation (Connecticut) Land Claim Settlement Act. It authorized the United States to take land into trust in northeastern Montville for the Mohegan tribe's use as a reservation. Since gaining a reservation, in 1996 the tribe developed theMohegan Suncasino resort. It has also built theMohegan Sun Arena on their land. The Mohegan are one of theNative American peoples who speakAlgonquian languages.
Uncasville was named by English colonists forUncas, the 17th-century Mohegansachem who became their ally. The Mohegan, originally part of the Algonquian-speakingPequot people, became independent through the 17th and 18th centuries. They allied with English colonists during thePequot War of 1637. Uncas established a fortified village for defense, now known asFort Shantok, on an elevated site next to theThames River. He later welcomedEnglish colonists to the Mohegan lands.
The European-American brothers John and Arthur Schofield established the firstwoolen mill in the United States in Uncasville. Theircarding andspinning mill, dependent on water power, was located at the mouth of theOxoboxo River.[2] The Uncasville Manufacturing Corporation operated on the river into the early 20th century, as shown in the postcard image to the right.
In the 1950s, theOlin Mathieson Chemical Corporation established a large manufacturing facility in the Sandy Desert section in northeastern Montville. In 1961, it formed a joint venture, theUnited Nuclear Corporation, with Mallinckrodt Corporation of America, and Nuclear Development Corporation of America. They started with a total of 1400 employees, producingnuclear reactor fuel components for the United States Navy nuclear program.[2][3] The site was near Trading Cove. Some parts of the program ended by 1976. After United Nuclear ceased its operations about 1990, the site was cleaned up of environmental hazards, decommissioned, and released for unrestricted use.[3] The village designated this as a redevelopment area as designated by the village.[3]
During the colonial period, agents had sold traditional lands originally occupied by the Mohegan people and reserved for them by the colony; they became landless. European Americans assumed they would assimilate to the more numerous majority. In the 20th century the Mohegan reorganized and sought federal recognition through the formal administrative process, submitting thorough documentation to prove their community and cultural continuity despite the lack of land. At the same time, beginning in the 1970s, they pursued a land claim against Connecticut for having been deprived illegally of their traditional lands.
In 1994, theU.S. Department of the Interior granted federal recognition to the Mohegan tribe.[4] Several months later, theU.S. Congress passed theMohegan Nation (Connecticut) Land Claim Settlement Act.[5] It authorized the United States to take into trust the United Nuclear site for use as Moheganreservation lands; with this, the law extinguished any other Mohegan land claims in Connecticut. In exchange, Congress approved the tribe undertaking gambling operations at the reservation site.[5]
With its own reservation, the Mohegan developedgaming operations to generate revenue for tribal welfare. They opened theMohegan Sun casino on October 12, 1996, near the former Fort Shantok site above the Thames River. It has since been expanded into a large resort with hotels and other facilities.
Uncasville village is located in southeastern Montville near the confluence of the Oxoboxo andThames rivers. All of eastern Montville, located on the western shore of the Thames, is served by the Uncasville ZIP code, 06382, and is also known as Uncasville. TheU.S. Census Bureau treats Uncasville village as part of theOxoboxo River census-designated place. The Mohegan Sun resort is about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Uncasville village.
TheMohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, established in 1996, has become one of the largest casinos in the world. It has more than 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2). The associated resort complex includes a luxury hotel, entertainment theater, and around 50 restaurants and 35 stores.[6]
TheMohegan Sun Arena, located in the complex, hosts concerts and live sporting events. It can hold 10,000 people.[7] It is the home court of theConnecticut Sun of theWomen's National Basketball Association.
41°26′04″N72°06′35″W / 41.434542°N 72.109799°W /41.434542; -72.109799
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