Yesteryears April 15th

2006 - Tribal members participated in the National Park Service project "Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future," which came to Grand Ronde for a March 25-April 2 run. The project was named for the 1803-06 Lewis and Clark expedition, in which Northwest Tribes helped a bedraggled Lewis and Clark crew reach the Pacific Ocean and survive the winter in Oregon.

2001 - Three members of the Tribal Enrollment Committee stepped down. Tribal Elders Mabel Gaston, Ila Dowd and Nora Kimsey had a combined 58 years of service on the committee.

1996 - Jan Michael Reibach, a security guard at Spirit Mountain Casino, was featured. Reibach moved from Gresham to Grand Ronde to take the job. "I am very grateful for this because it changed my life in a positive way," Reibach said.

1991 - Tribal Chairman Mark Mercier discussed the establishment of Tribal trust funds for Education, Housing, Health and Government. "With time and prudent management," he said, "the Tribe one day will be able to fully control its economic, social and political environment."

1986 - Tribal Council members Merle Leno, Kathryn Harrison and Mark Mercier met with Polk and Yamhill county commissioners to keep them posted on the Tribe's progress on the Reservation Plan. As the Restoration Act specified, Tribal Council had to consult with at least three affected counties, which were Tillamook, Yamhill and Polk.

Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year increments through the pages of Smoke Signals.