Yesteryears: July 1, 2026

2021 — The Cedar Plank Buffet at Spirit Mountain Casino permanently closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press release, the casino cited health concerns and a challenging labor market as the primary reasons for its closure. Tribal Council and Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. Board member Kathleen George said the buffet would have needed to charge $60 per person to break even. All buffet staff were offered positions in the casino’s other restaurants.

2016 — More than 300 arrowheads and projectile points were donated by 84-year-old Norma Yeater to the Tribe’s Cultural Collections Program at Chachalu Tribal Museum & Cultural Center. The artifacts, which came from her father, Kenneth Nelson Russell’s private collection, were almost entirely found on his 10-acre property in Turner.

“All of these artifacts are from an area that was our ceded lands,” Cultural Collections Supervisor Veronica Montano said. “With this collection, this woman can tell us on a map where they came from.”

2011 — The Spirit Mountain Stampede rodeo returned after a two-year hiatus due to the nationwide recession. Events included bull riding, barrel racing, saddle and bareback bronc riding, breakaway roping and steer wrestling. The casino also hosted “Gone Country,” a country music variety show featuring impersonators of Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn.

2006 — Tribal member David Harrelson was profiled in Smoke Signals as he discussed his adventures during a four-month study in Africa the previous year. His activities included capturing birds for banding, observing wildlife on safari, snorkeling, studying grasslands ecology and living with the Hadzabe and Massai people in Tanzania. Living with the Massai, he said, was “amazingly comfortable. I slept better there than anywhere else in Africa.”

2001 — Construction of an expansion was underway at Spirit Mountain Casino, adding 5,200 square feet to the non-smoking section and creating space for 200 additional slot machines.

1996 — The Tribe’s wellness program hosted a youth bicycle safety rodeo on the powwow grounds that consisted of lessons and interactive games to teach bicycle safety, maintenance and traffic awareness. Four bikes were also raffled as prizes.

1991 — The Tribe had 2,770 enrolled members. Enrollment requirements included documented descendancy from a Grand Ronde Tribal member, at least 1/16 degree or more total Indian blood and completion of an application under the Grand Ronde Enrollment Ordinance.

1986 — Tribal Council met with Oregon Rep. Les AuCoin, who informed the council that he was unable to introduce the necessary legislation that year to establish a reservation in Grand Ronde. Tribal Council spent the remainder of the year making and giving presentations on the reservation plan to the local community and various organizations to help build support.

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