Yesteryears - July 1, 2011

2006 - Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy attended the longhouse groundbreaking at Lane Community College in Eugene. The projected construction cost of 1.1 million was mostly paid for with only $300,000 remaining in the fundraising campaign.

2001 - Spirit Mountain Casino was undergoing more expansion. This time around, a 5,200-square-foot non-smoking section was being added. The new space will provide room for an additional 200 slot machines when completed.

1996 - In an effort to increase the number of Tribal members employed at Spirit Mountain Casino, the Human Resources Department was looking for a new employee who will dedicate all of his or her time to the Tribal hiring goal. "The new HR representative will take a hard look at finding the right job for every Tribal member who wants one and to work with Tribal programs to ensure Tribal members receive the skill training necessary to find that right job," said Human Resources Director Kit Devine.

1991 - Grand Ronde's veterans group held several meetings and expressed an interest in becoming involved in the Northwest Indian Veterans Association, which serves as the Veterans' Committee of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and is made up of Northwest Tribal veterans' organizations.

1986 - Tribal Chairman Mark Mercier reported that Congressman Les AuCoin said that he would not be able to introduce legislation this year for the formation of a Grand Ronde Reservation. However, Mercier also reported that local timbers companies' main concern about a new Tribal reservation was the export log market. "So, in the future, the Tribal Council will continue to negotiate with the local timber companies," he said.

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