Yesteryears -- Nov. 15, 2020

2015 – Grand Ronde Tribal member Marcel Allen won the 40^th annual World Junior Bull Riding Championship at the 2015 Indian Nation Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas, Nev. Allen qualified for the world championship after winning three of seven bull riding events the past summer. “There were a lot more people,” Allen said. “There was a different set-up and it was just a whole different thing. I was super excited about the whole thing. It was fun.”

2010 – Oregonians rejected a private casino proposal in Wood Village in the November general election. “I hope they got the point,” Tribal Council member Chris Mercier said. “Sixty-eight to 32 is a very convincing statement.” If approved, the measure would have been the first step in opening the door for a privately owned casino in Oregon.

2005 – Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy and Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. testified before Congress with other Tribal gaming representatives from across the United States. They traveled to Washington, D.C., to urge their representatives to block other Tribes from setting up casinos outside their Reservations. Kennedy said her three main concerns were an explosion of off–Reservation casinos that undermined the policy foundation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, off-Reservation casinos threatened public support for existing Tribal gaming, and each approval of an off-Reservation casino set a bad precedent by changing the nature of Tribal gaming.

2000 – Warm Springs Tribal member Alyssa Macy was named the third recipient of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s Mark O. Hatfield Fellowship. She was slated to begin work as a liaison for Native American issues in Rep. Darlene Hooley’s office. “This definitely creates more possibilities for me,” she said. “And I’ve always wanted to get a good understanding of how policies are developed.”

1995 – The Grand Ronde water tank project was almost complete. The last phase of construction had begun and was scheduled to be on line in early 1996. The 500,000-gallon tank would provide water to Grand Ronde residences and businesses, as well as add to the fire protection in the area, and would allow a moratorium on new water hookups to be lifted. The water tank was the result of cooperative efforts between the Grand Ronde Tribe, Grand Ronde Community Water Association, the Economic Development Association, Housing and Urban Development and Spirit Mountain Development Association.

1990 – A landmark bill honoring America’s First People was passed by Congress. It designated the month of November to be recognized as National American Indian Heritage Month. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Rep. Eni Falcomavaega of American Samoa, letters of support from Tribes and the American Indian Heritage Foundation spent several years securing national support and the more than 270 necessary votes.

1985 – The Tribe’s new Parent Committee officers were Chair Margo George, Vice Chair Mike Larsen, Secretary Sandra Roselle, Treasurer Lennis Mercier, Coordinator Jayne Mercier, L.E.A. Darlene Kepford, Teacher Representative Becky Fendall and Alternate Teacher Representative Sandra Petty.

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