Yesteryears -- July 15, 2019

2014 – Tribal Elder and Navy veteran Gene LaBonte was honored during the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at uyxat Powwow Grounds. During the Vietnam War, LaBonte served in Stockton, Calif., for three years, 11 months and 29 days. “I never went to sea,” he said. “I was a dry land sailor. It takes 100 nonfighting personnel to support one soldier.” He was active in veteran’s affairs and participated in many capacities for many years at the Tribe.

2009 – Tribal Elder Steve Rife was in the midst of making his third commemorative walk from Table Rock to Grand Ronde. He walked up Interstate 5, approximating the actual route of the Applegate Trail, better known among Tribal members as the Trail of Tears. It brought several Tribes and Bands from southern Oregon’s Umpqua Basin and Rogue River Valley together for a 33-day, 263-mile march in 1856 to what became the Grand Ronde Reservation.

2004 – Oregon State University’s Native American Collaborative Institute sent student interns to work in Tribal communities as a part of its focused effort to serve Tribes. One student, Danielle Fournier, who was majoring in Ethnic Studies, served as a Smoke Signals intern for three months in the spring.

1999 – The Tribe’s $225,000 grant from Spirit Mountain Community Fund helped bring a new exhibit to the Oregon Historical Society. Called “Willamette Valley: Visions of Eden,” the new exhibit included several interactive, hands-on components ranging from video stations with archival footage showing “history in motion” to a recorded Native American story telling how Turkey Buzzard lost his feathers.

1994 – Tribal member Clyde Stryker was featured as entrepreneur of the month. The Sherwood resident had owned Spirit Communications since 1993 with his wife, Gretchen. Spirit Communications was a voice and data insulation company. The Strykers installed and maintained the systems for commercial and private use. Their customer base included Tektronix, the city of Eugene, Valley Insurance and all Payless stores in Oregon.

1989 – The Education Department reported that the 1988-89 school year had been a very successful one. During that time, 20 percent of the students had graduated and 70 percent were still pursuing degrees. Enrollment for the upcoming school year was also on the increase and a majority of students enrolled were on track to graduate.

1984 – The Health Committee met with Interim Tribal Council to discuss the Equitable Fund Contract proposal for the Tribe to administer health care services in Grand Ronde. Employees were to include a health director, nurse, two nursing assistants and four temporary outreach workers, and a clerk. The purpose of the proposal was for the staff to work with the membership to help improve general heath in addition to having services at Chemawa Clinic and contract care.

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