Yesteryears - April 15, 2025

2020 – With COVID spreading throughout Oregon and the nation, Tribal Council voted unanimously to establish a COVID-19 relief payment program for Tribal members. Reading from a prepared statement, Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier said the program would “assist with offsetting the impacts to members from the pandemic including assistance with rent, mortgage, basic living expenses and medication.”

2015 – The Grand Ronde Food Bank – Iskam MǝkʰMǝk-Haws – held a grand opening ceremony to commemorate the partnership between the Tribe and Marion-Polk Food Share in building and operating the new food pantry on Grand Ronde Road. It included 3,300 square feet to store produce, canned goods and frozen foods.

2010 – Spirit Mountain Casino hosted a celebration to honor Sue Shaffer, former longtime chairwoman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, for her years of service to Indian Country. Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh and other state officials attended and praised Shaffer’s work. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye sent letters praising her as well.

2005 – Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a compact with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, to allow an off-reservation casino, leading to concerns among other Tribes. Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said the Tribe would “once again pursue the option of moving within Grand Ronde’s aboriginal territory, including Portland, which was ceded to the U.S. government in a treaty signed in 1855.”

2000 – Tribal Council held a series of community meetings across the state in March to gather information about Tribal member needs. The meetings included an overview of the Tribe’s capital projects during the prior 10 years.

1995 – The Tribe signed an agreement with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stating the Tribe would continue its upkeep of Nelson’s checkermallow plants it had moved. The previous year, the Tribe had found endangered Nelson’s checkermallow plants growing on the site where it intended to build its new Spirit Mountain Casino and transplanted 299 of them to a different location on Tribal property.

1990 – Willamina High School freshman and Tribal Youth Shonn Leno qualified for the Oregon National Team that was headed to Idaho to wrestle in the biggest free style tournament in the world.

1985 – The Interim Tribal Council presented its final report to Tribal members, noting that, “We have completed Phase I and have entered into Phase II of our three-phase plan,” to recover from termination. It included setting up meetings for nomination and election of a Tribal Council on March 23, 1985.

“We would hope and pray that we have laid the groundwork for the Tribe to acquire a homeland where we, too, like our ancestors, can make our living, gather our food, build our homes and raise our children and grandchildren, and, yes, be laid to rest. … We feel that our path to a better future can be no more arduous than our path through our past,” the Interim Council wrote.

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