Yesteryears -- July 15, 2013

2008 - The Grand Ronde Veterans Powwow was the first held at the Tribe's new powwow grounds near Fort Yamhill State Park. The powwow honored Tribal Elder Marce Norwest and his wife, Sharon, and saw Tribal Elder and Vietnam veteran Steve Rife complete the 265-mile Trail of Tears walk from Table Rock to Grand Ronde.

2003 - Construction started on the Tribe's new convenience store and gas station. The project is scheduled for "substantial completion" by late November with a projected opening date of mid-December.

1998 - The Grand Ronde Gaming Commission was selected by the National Indian Gaming Commission to participate in a pilot project that sought to simplify and reduce the amount of paperwork submitted by Tribal governments and reduce the time and expense Tribes spend on coping with documents. As a result, the Gaming Commission will no longer be required to submit a copy of employee applications, investigative reports and licensing decisions.

1993 - Karen Schmid was honored as Nanitch Sahallie Employee of the Month. She was a member of the Choctaw/Apache Tribe and worked as an intake service counselor at the facility. She grew up in Portland and attended Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Wash.

1988 - Plans were being made for the fourth annual powwow. Tribal Council, the Powwow Committee and other interested persons were scheduled to meet with Paul Whitehead, a familiar face on the powwow circuit, to discuss dos and don'ts of powwow and to share information about dances, traditions and protocol.

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