 On termination , the Menominee , which was one of the wealthiest tribes prior to termination , became one of the poorest . In 1954 , the tribe 's timber operations allowed it to be self @-@ sufficient . The tribe , which owned utility companies , paid for a hospital , BIA salaries , local schools , and a stipend to tribal members . The tribe was forced to use its reserve funds to develop a termination plan that they did not want and instead of having a reserve , they entered into termination with a $ 300 @,@ 000 deficit . Menominee County was created out of the old reservation boundaries and the tribe immediately had to finance its own police and fire protection . Without federal support and with no tax base , the situation became dire . The tribe closed the hospital , sold its utility company , and contracted those services to neighboring counties . The Menominee Enterprises , Inc . , formed to care for the tribe 's needs after termination , was unable to pay property taxes and began to consider selling off tribal property . Many Menominee tribal members believed that the sponsor of the termination bill , Senator Arthur Wilkins of Utah , intended to force the loss of rich tribal lands to non @-@ Indians . In 1962 , the state of Wisconsin took the position that the hunting and fishing rights were abrogated by the termination act and that the tribal members were subject to state hunting and fishing regulations . With the poverty in the former reservation , the loss of hunting rights meant the loss of one of their last remaining means of survival . 
