Yesteryears: Feb. 1, 2026

2021 — Funding awarded to the Tribe from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act enabled the Tribal Council Chambers and conference room to be equipped with technology upgrades to allow the audience and Tribal Council members to better participate in meetings remotely. The Tribe received $45 million in emergency aid funding and used $182,000 for the technology upgrades to enable remote meeting attendance and participation.

2016 — After hearing testimony from Tribal representatives, the Oregon Board of Education approved a resolution and rule to allow schools to keep their Native mascots if they could reach a formal agreement with a local Tribe about acceptable imagery and integrate Native studies into their curriculum. Grand Ronde wanted to work with local schools in order to foster understanding and appreciation of Tribal culture.

2011 — After reaching a three-year deal with the Portland Rose Festival Foundation, Spirit Mountain Casino became the new official sponsor of the Portland Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade.

2006 — The Tribal Library was close to reaching capacity after a year of growth in usage, as well as books, videos and magazines. Tribal Librarian Marion Mercier said the library had gone from 884 items circulated in 2004 to 3,025 in 2005. She attributed the increase in part to the public internet connection the library had added on its computers. The library had also joined the state library’s EBSCO database research system, which was set to provide each Tribal library in the state with a complete new computer system for patrons.

2001 — For a second year, the Spirit Mountain Community Fund provided support for the Oregon Zoo Foundation’s Birds of Prey outreach program. The program introduced predatory birds to 15,000 students in Polk, Marion and Yamhill counties, and stressed the importance of environmental stewardship.

1996 — The Tribe’s Fish & Wildlife Program intended to use a grant from the National Marine Fisheries Service, shared with the Polk County Soil and Water Conservation Services, to employ fishers to help complete the Tribe’s new day use park on the reservation and plant between 4,000 and 8,000 trees on reservation lands.

1991 — After three months of setbacks, the Tribe successfully relocated Tribal offices from the old manor building to a new modular office complex. The manor building had housed the Tribes’ offices since 1987 but had problems with wiring and fire safety codes.

1986 — The Tribe’s Reservation Plan document had been finalized and submitted to the Department of the Interior on time, but the Tribe had discovered that a great deal of work still had to be completed before a bill could be submitted to Congress, Tribal Council Chair Mark Mercier said. The Tribe was soliciting letters of support from the surrounding counties, churches and social organizations, and meeting with aides for Oregon Rep. Les AuCoin, to address his concerns.

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