Yesteryears - Jan. 15, 2016

2011 – Tribal Forest Patrol Officer Jake McKnight was preparing to take state public safety training to become the Tribe’s first police officer. It was one of the first steps toward creating a Tribal law enforcement program.

2006 – Tribal member Frank Grammer, a demolition specialist with the National Guard, was featured. He served as a 50-caliber gunner for a few months and as a driver for most of his time spent in Iraq.

2001 – Michael Moore, the new chief executive officer at Spirit Mountain Casino, was introduced to the general membership.

1996 – Bruce Thomas, president of Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc., reported that after two and half months of operation that Spirit Mountain Casino was doing well. He said the largest percentage of clients come from the Portland and Salem areas and that about 25 percent of customers are people on their way to the Oregon coast.

1991 – Tribal Education Program Director Dean Azule reported that the Higher Education Program was up to an all-time high of 28 students after the just concluded fall term only had 18 students enrolled.

1986 – Tribal Chairman Mark Mercier reported that the final draft of the Grand Ronde Reservation Plan was finished and that he and Tribal Council members Kathryn Harrison and Merle Leno would be presenting the final draft to public and private agencies.

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