More than a decade later, the Caldwell First Nation is finally claiming territory in a land settlement agreement signed with the federal government.
It is an accomplishment almost 230 years in the making and a century after the RCMP and local policing agencies forced many band members out of Point Pelee by burning their homes.
The First Nation held a land ceremony marking the milestone on the property near Leamington on Wednesday.
Construction starts on Monday on a gas station, a community centre, and the first phase of housing.
The federal government and Caldwell First Nation ratified a land claim settlement in 2010. It included $105-million to set up the new reserve and compensate band members for the loss of their traditional territories.
Caldwell First Nation has lived in the Point Pelee area for hundreds of years. Traditionally, their territory stretched from Windsor to Long Point and included the Lake Erie islands.
In 1790, the Ottawa, Chippewa, Pottawatomi, and Huron surrendered a large tract of land, including Point Pelee. The Caldwell First Nation didn't sign the treaty and didn't benefit from it.
Following the War of 1812, the British promised the First Nation land at Point Pelee for its role in the conflict. The Canadian government honoured the agreement until the late 1850s.
Today, Point Pelee is a national park.