Six off-reservation casinos under BIA review
CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. (AP) Lawyer, doctor, bank and pharmacy
are gone. The Gorge Gas and Mart is closed. The Gum Oak Restaurant,
closed. Scenic Winds Motel, closed. Big D auto service, closed.
An Internet facility, closed. Whisky Flats Mercantile, closed. In the 1960s we had about 60 licensed businesses,"
said Charles Daughtry, port manager in this former timber town in
the scenic Columbia River Gorge. We now have about 12, and
half of them are for sale. About 100 miles to the south, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
are having their own troubles. Reservation unemployment is about
26 percent. The tribal lumber mill is closing. The tribes are millions
of dollar shy of what leaders say they need to provide basic services. The Warm Springs tribes and many Cascade Locks residents also have
this in common: They see building an Indian casino on the banks
of the Columbia as their salvation. It is an ironic twist in history. Cascade Locks sits on part of
10 million acres ceded by the Wasco and Warm Springs Indians to
the U.S. government in 1855. In exchange, the tribes got government
services, fishing rights and a 640,000-acre reservation, Oregons
largest, that begins about 65 miles east of Portland. And now, many here hope the Warm Springs tribes will be permitted
to build an off-reservation casino on a sliver of the land they
gave up. But building the casino in this town of 1,100 is not a sure thing. Environmentalists say it would blight the federally designated
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, an 85-mile strip of river
where the town is located. Some residents have the same worry. Leading the opposition are the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde,
which have a flourishing casino about 65 miles southwest of Portland
and are worried that a Warm Springs casino in Cascade Locks would
siphon off some of the lucrative Portland market. At federal hearings that have just begun on the proposal, emotions
have run high. Cheryle Kennedy, tribal chairwoman of the Grand Ronde, pointed
out the Warm Springs already have a casino on their reservation,
and argued allowing another in Cascade Locks would violate Oregons
long-held policy of one casino per tribe on tribal lands. The Warm Springs tribes say they will close the small casino if
they can build at Cascade Locks. We do not oppose the Warm Springs people, she said,
bringing hoots and groans from the overflow crowd at the hearing
-- Warm Springs tribal members and residents of Cascade Locks alike. Three years ago, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and the Warm Springs tribes
signed an agreement that would allow Oregons first off-reservation
tribal casino. The Warm Springs say revenues from the casino on their reservation
are insufficent to help them out of poverty. They are hoping a casino
in Cascade Locks would draw gamblers from Portland, which is just
45 minutes away. Kennedy contended the Grand Ronde is an affected tribe
with a stake in the decision. Only three off-reservation casino applications have made it through
the legal labyrinth since the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulation Act. But the Warm Springs tribes, and Cascade Locks, have their hopes
up. The off-reservation application for Cascade Locks is one of
six the Interior Department recently allowed to proceed. Most of
those rejected were judged to be too far from reservations to provide
jobs for tribal members. Cascade Locks isnt far from the edge of the reservation but
is about 100 miles each way from where most members live. Whether
that fits the nearness guidelines is disputed. Not everyone in Cascade Locks is in favor of the casino. Some fear
the casino, the 250-room hotel and its several restaurants would
run off the handful of businesses still here. At the hearing, local Ray Cress said the casino could leave the
town little more than a frontage road. We only have one Yosemite,
one Yellowstone, one Big Sur and one Columbia Gorge. Mayor Roger Freeborn doesnt see it that way. This community is limping along where we are now. There might be negative impact, but we think the positive will far outweigh it. Were comfortable to deal with that, Freeborn said. |
Wednesday Six off-reservation casinos under BIA review President Shirley says Friday special session is unnecessary Veto override looms in special Navajo Council meeting Sonora filmmaker sentenced to probation after taping American Indian dances Man gets $5K fine, probation for trading bald eagle feathers |
| Home | Daily News | Archive | Subscribe | All contents property of the
Gallup Independent.
Any duplication or republication requires consent of the Gallup Independent. Please send the Gallup Independent feedback on this website and the paper in general. Send questions or comments to gallpind@cia-g.com |