Yesteryears - May 1, 2011

2006 - Willamette University repatriated a 2.2-pound piece of Tomanowos - the Willamette meteorite - to the Tribe. The piece was found in a supply closet in the school's Olin Science Building. "This piece is home," Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said, "but it's not a good situation because there has been so much cutting on the meteorite. To me, it's like carving up a body."

2001 - Tribal members met with representatives from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to discuss the Tribe's upcoming visit to Tomanowos. The museum agreed to close the site to all other visitors while Tribal members visit and conduct a blessing.

1996 - Architect Frank Whalen reported that groundbreaking on the new Tribal health facility should begin in August with construction taking about a year to complete. "We are still within the budget of around $3.5 million," he said. "It is running $122 a square foot."

1991 - Tribal Chairman Mark Mercier reported that he delivered a check for $90,000 to Tillamook County's Board of Commissioners to settle forever any revenue losses the county may have suffered from the creation of the Grand Ronde Reservation. "This action closes another small chapter in the history of the rebirth of the Tribal community and the development of the Grand Ronde Reservation," he wrote.

1986 - The Tribe's general manager explained why Tribal Council members and staff received two W-2 forms for 1985: One on the corporate number and one for income earned after Sept. 30, 1985. The problem was partially due to the Internal Revenue Service not understanding the difference between the corporation and the Tribe since they both began with "The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde." The Tribal Council is a sovereign government while the corporation is a state-chartered non-profit 501(c)(3).

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