This picture is better and more complete than anything I could take, and I did try. This Casino/Hotel sits on First Nation Land in the hamlet of Grande Ronde, Oregon. Have passed through here, on the two lane highway all of my childhood on the way to the Coast. Now there is a Vegas Style Gaming conglomerate. 7 or more restaurants, entertainment the like of: Chicago, Bret Michaels, to name two from the illustrious list. A Lodge, a hotel, rooms for all pockets. And gambling. It doesn’t seem to matter if you come morning, noon or night, the parking lots are full. I drove up and down the rows, and around the perimeter, and among the cars to try and get a feel of the scoop. The State of Oregon had to redesign the traffic pattern to prevent the accidents that were happening due to the comings and goings. In the end, I feel, like I feel about the Casinos scattered through out the States that are owned by Tribal Councils: one small act of getting back a trickle of the money owed them by the ancestors of all these white men and women who frequent the place.
THE CASINO Welcome to Oregon’s number one tourist attraction. Amenities include:
Located approximately 65 miles southwest of Portland and only 25 minutes from the coast
GAMES Smoking and non-smoking areas:
HOURS Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
TRIBAL HISTORY THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF GRAND RONDE
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde were formed when the government forced member tribes to cede their ancestral lands and created the 60,000-acre Grand Ronde Reservation in Oregon’s Coast Range. Beginning in February 1857, federal troops forced the native people to march from a temporary reservation at Table Rock in Southern Oregon 263 miles north across rough terrain to the newly created Grand Ronde Reservation.
Thus began Oregon’s “Trail of Tears.” The Rogue River and Chasta tribes were the first to be removed from their aboriginal lands. They were joined by members of other tribes and bands as they marched past other tribal homelands. The journey took 33 days, and many died along the way.
The original 60,000-acre reservation was reduced incrementally over the years until the government terminated the Tribe in 1954. All that was left was 7.5 acres of land — a cemetery and maintenance shed. Through the hard work and sacrifices of Tribal members, recognition was restored in 1983. In 1988, Congress re-established a 9,811-acre reservation in the mountains north of Grand Ronde.
At the time of Restoration, Tribal members faced severe social and economic needs resulting from generations of hardship, poverty and discrimination. Tribal leaders committed themselves to turning things around for Tribal members so they could become self-sufficient and no longer depend on government assistance. While managing reservation timberland on a sustained-yield basis, Tribal leaders were able to start using timber revenue to address the pressing needs of Tribal members. The Tribal Council also set aside a portion of timber revenues to create capital for future economic development.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have since acquired additional land and built a community center, a health center and a Tribal governance center and started education, health-care, housing and other programs for Tribal members. The Tribes also have embarked upon an ambitious economic development program, which includes Spirit Mountain Casino. Spirit Mountain is the Northwest’s most successful casino and Oregon’s top attraction, making it a vital part of the Tribes´ effort to achieve self-sufficiency.
For additional information on The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde please visit grandronde.org.
This is information is taken directly from the Spirit Mountain Casino website.http://spiritmountain.com/tribal-history. Tried to copy their logo for you to see: ‘a wolf jumping over the mountains’, but couldn’t.