The 1890s and early 1900s were challenging times for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Through both the Old Crossing Treaty and the McCumber Agreement, the size of the Turtle Mountain Reservation was vastly reduced, down to a meager two townships. The size of the reservation relative to the large number of tribal citizens living in the area was insufficient. The political treachery was fresh in the minds of the Chippewa.

By 1901, Chief Little Shell III had died, but his legacy remained. Until his death, he had tirelessly advocated for equitable justice for the lands ceded in the McCumber Agreement. He campaigned for the restoration of the original original reservation and the unity of his people. Many elders carried on the call for justice in the decades following his death. In 1948, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa filed a lawsuit against the federal government for the lack of settlement payments related to both the Old Crossing Treaty and the McCumber Agreement. Frustratingly, the lawsuit would not be resolved until thirty years later, when 52 million dollars was awarded to the Pembina Chippewa. The first of several payments were issued in 1984 based on per capita allocation. However, Congress soon mandated that 20 percent of the amount for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa remain invested, but allowed the tribal council to withdraw the interest each year.

The McCumber Agreement was unsettling for the Chippewa and resulted in mistrust of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, division amongst the community, and the replacement of the traditional tribal governance systems. It remains one of the most controversial and complex events in the history of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.