Yesteryears - Aug. 1, 2026

2021 — The Tribe held an Indig-Immunity Youth Vaccination event for Tribal youth aged 12 and older to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The event included a social powwow with youth dancers, a three-on-three basketball tournament and lacrosse activities. Youth were given gifts and could win special prizes such as a basketball signed by the Portland Trail Blazers. In total, 331 adults and 106 youth attended the event.

2016 — Tribal Council Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy met with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley during a town hall meeting in Tillamook to discuss the passing of a U.S. Senate bill opposed by the Tribe. The bill would expand the area in which the Secretary of the Interior could take land into trust for the Siletz Tribe to include Tillamook and Yamhill counties, both of which had originally been allocated to the Tribe in the Grand Ronde Reservation Act. “We’re not opposing it just to fight with another Tribe,” Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno said. “We’re opposing it because we feel that’s our land, that’s where our people come from.”

2011 — Tribal member and Forest Patrol Officer Jake McKnight graduated from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training and became the Tribe’s first police officer. During defensive training, McKnight earned "Best in Class" honors out of 325 trainees. McKnight had previously been working with Tribal Council to approve a resolution to establish a police department, which passed in December 2010.

2006 — Elders from eight Tribes across the Pacific Northwest gathered in Grand Ronde to celebrate the Tribe’s annual Elder Honor Day. A total of 193 Elders attended, including 76 from Grand Ronde, 34 from Coos, 36 from Siuslaw, 16 from Coquille, 14 from Umpqua, eight from Suquamish, six from Siletz and three from Swinomish. Nora Kimsey, 97, was honored as the longest living Grand Ronde Elder and oldest living Elder among the eight Tribes.

2001 — The Tribe’s Social Services Department opened a youth shelter in Grand Ronde in an effort to provide a safe place for troubled youth. Social Services Director Anthony Gagliardo said the shelter took more than a year to put together. “This shelter shows a true commitment and dedication for the safety and well-being of Tribal member children,” he said.

1996 — Spirit Mountain Casino was credited by local government agencies as being responsible for eight new businesses opening in Willamina following the casino’s launch in October 1995. Willamina Business Group President Gary Brooks noted that all but one of the new businesses had been started by local residents. “It’s economics,” he said. “The bang you get from 1,000 new jobs is going to have an impact. All of that new money in the area creates new business opportunities.”

1991 — The Tribe was joined by representatives from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Klamath Tribes and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board to host a two-day orientation workshop for Indian students at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. Topics included entrance into community college, placement assessments, support services, four-year colleges and universities and student clubs.

1986 — Tribal Council was formulating a comprehensive plan to outline long-term goals for the Tribe’s future. Topics of the plan included housing, future administrative buildings, health facilities, improved care for Elders and ways to educate Tribal youth. Tribal Council Chairman Mark Mercier said the plan was very important, as it would “help the Tribe expand into a very formal and organized unit of operation.”

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