Yesteryears: Jan. 15, 2026

2021 — The Tribe had hired Portland resident Jennifer Worth as the operations director for its medication assisted treatment facilities and was preparing to open two clinics that would be the first Tribally owned and operated programs in the state to combat opioid addiction.

2016 — With Tribal Elder and Police Chief Al LaChance retiring, the Tribe selected Tribal member and Police Sgt. Jake McKnight to take on that role. McKnight and LaChance worked simultaneously in the role for two months before finalizing the handoff. In 2011, the Tribe had reclassified McKnight, formerly working as a forest patrol officer, to a police officer. He attended the state police academy and began setting up the Tribe’s first police department, which was then initially headed by LaChance for the first few years.

2011 — Tribal members were preparing to dance at the third Gathering of Oregon’s First Nations Powwow later in the month. It was originally organized to remind Oregonians that Native peoples inhabited the Pacific Northwest long before statehood.

2006 — Rain, hail and high winds pounded the West Valley and by early January, the region had received more than 300% of its normal rainfall. Agency Creek was four feet above its usual level, interfering with attempts by Natural Resources to count steelhead passing through its fish weir. However, the downpours also served to help refill depleted reservoirs and aquifers.

2001 — Spirit Mountain Gaming, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman Mike Larsen introduced the casino’s new CEO Michael Moore to the General Council.

1996 — Two-and-a-half months into the casino’s operations, Bruce Thomas, president of Spirit Mountain Gaming, Inc., gave  a report to the General Council, saying the casino was doing well and that a larger percentage of its clientele were from larger areas like Portland and Salem, with a slightly smaller percentage coming from local towns and communities.

1991 — The senior meal site, worked on by maintenance crew member Greg Leno and his uncle Russ Leno, had been completed and was serving hot lunches to Tribal Elders Tuesday through Thursday.

1986 — Tribal membership was nearing 1,800, with numerous enrollments still underway.

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