On Leech Lake, Bugonaygeshig is celebrated by both Indian and white communities as a symbol of resistance. He lived a long life, remained steadfast in his Indian ways, and Bugonaygeshig School in Bena, MN is named in his honor. On September 15, 1898, he was arrested for bootlegging. Several Ojibwe helped him escape, and one hundred soldiers came to Bear Island on October 5 to rearrest him. One soldier accidentally discharged his rifle, and an Ojibwe hiding nearby thought they were being attacked and fired back. Six soldiers and one police officer were killed, but not one Ojibwe died. At that time, Secretary of the Interior Cornelius Bliss wrote that the Indians were prompted to their outbreak by wrongs committed against them and chafed under unfair treatment, and that they would go back to their homes and live peaceably because the whites were thoroughly impressed with the stand taken by the Indians.