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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1979)
October 22,1979 Page 3 Spilyay Tymoo Tribes buy farmland at old Vanora townsite The Confederated Tribes on Oct. 12 purchased 304 acres of mostly irrigated farmland located to the right of Highway 26 by the road to Pelton Dam. The property, known as the Vanora townsite, lies about two miles south of the Deschutes River Bridge and was sold for $471,200. According to BIA Realty Officer Harlow Nasewytewa, the Tribes made a $100,000 down payment, with the balance to be paid over a three- year period. He explained that the purchase price includes all structures on the land including sprinklers, pipes and pumps. After the sales contract was signed, the Tribes turned around and leased the land back to the former owners, Paul Shoen and Eddie Hagen, for a term ending Dec. 1, 1980. “They will probably continue to work the land until the Tribes are ready to assume operation of the farm themselves,” Nasewytewa said. The farm is being used for pasturing and for producing crops of alfalfa and grasses. Although the Tribes bought the property because the bulk of it is good agricultural land, there has been speculation that, because of its proximity to the reservation, it could be used for future projects such as housing. “Geographically, it relates more to Warm Springs than it does to Madras,” said Tribal planner Ray Rangila. Since the land was purchased in fee-patent status, the Tribes will be paying property taxes to Jefferson County on a farm deferral assessment. Taxes currently run $1,354 a year. There may also be some back taxes due which the Tribes will have to pay. Historically and legally, the farmland is referred to as the Vanora townsite. In the book “Jefferson County Reminis cences”. John L. Campbell gives an interesting account of Vanora’s short existence. The town was built in 1911 with the coming of the railroad. And in 1923 when the railroad was abandoned through the area, the little town vanished. But in its heyday from 1911- 1920, there were two stores, a post office, a grade school, a near-beer joint, the Ora Vantassel residence (the town’s founder), and a grain warehouse. There was also a ferry boat that crossed the Deschutes River there which was operated in the later years by John E. Campbell, John T. Dizney, and an Indian named Robert Smith. (Councilwoman Rita Squiemphen’s paternal grandfather). This ferry, the book says, was abandoned in 1913 when a bridge was built at Mecca, a few miles Halloween doings Halloween Dressup scheduled It’s that time of the year again when all the Tribal and BIA employees will come to work dressed in Halloween get up on Wednesday October 31 st. The costuffie judging will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the new administration building. To really make it a fun fare all employees are urged to participate in the judging catagories of most original, funniest, ugliest and the prettiest. Community Center Fall Harvest: There are just a few tables left for the rummage sale which will be held in the Community Center Gym on Saturday, October 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone wishing to reserve a table for the sale should act at once. October 25 Pumpkin painting contest but bring your own pumpkin October 27 Fall Harvest Rummage Sale. Make sure to call the center to reserve a space and table. October 27 A workshop on unusual ways to use your fall harvest vegetables. October 28 Be sure to set your clocks back one hour October 29 Revenue Hearing concerning $142,000. Will be held in Conference Room #1 at the Admin Building. Copper Enameling Class to be held in the lobby of the Admin Building. There will be no charge for this class and it will be taught by Art Tassie. Halloween Activities. Trick or treating will be from 5 to 7 p.m. followed by CC happenings. “Stress Management” taught by Lindy Coryell. Contact the Adult Learning Center for registration information. “Yeast Breads and More!” taught by Pennie Little Contact the Adult Learning Center for registration information. Vote today for referendum concerning proposed housing projects and 23 adoption applicants. “The Lamanite Generation” co-sponsored by MHS and Jr. High School. To be held at the high school beginning at 8 p.m. October 31 Nov 5 November 7 Nov 15 Nov 30 downstream. Campbell described Vanora as a busy little town with a baseball diamond grubbed from the sage flat. He wrote,“...at one of the hotly- Don’t forget Halloween Carnival: For groups interested in a fund raising project, this year’s Halloween Carnival will be a perfect opportunity for you to make some bucks. There is no charge to set up a booth for the October 31 carnival. Community Calendar October 30 JUST SOLD— The Confederated Tribes this month bought this irrigated farmland which is situated along Highway 26 about two miles south of the Deschutes bridge. It consists of 304 acres, and was once the townsite of Vanora. Spilyay Tymoo photo by Rangila Residents will get an extra hour of sleep when -we switch from Daylight Savings Time back to Standard time at 2:00 a.m., October 28. At that time your clocks should be turned back to 1:00 a.m., unless you did that before you went to sleep. contested games between the dead horses hitched to a Warm Springs Indians and perfectly good wagon. Some of their white brothers, a bolt of the occupants of the wagon lightning hit a juniper tree to were out for a while but were which a team of horses was soon revived and the game tied. The result was a pair of went on.” Kindergarten class splits The 1979-80 school year at Warm Springs Grade School started out with the largest kindergarten ever. Seventy children are registered this year making it necessary to add a fourth kindergarten class. It was decided by the 509-J School Board in a September meeting that there were too many children to be handled by just three classes. One kindergarten teacher, Arlene Graham, has taught part-time for the last five years. She was asked if sho- would teach full-time if was necessary and she agreed to take on the afternoon class. Lovina Short, a veteran teacher of many years, had as many as 28 children in her afternoon class before the change. She noted that the situation has not improved much because parents are reluctant to change their children to the additional afternoon class. According to Principal Mike Darcy, there are only ten children in the new class, but there is an effort “to contact each parent individual ly. There were a few bus problems, but those are worked out now. , “We encourage any parent who would like to change their child from morning to afternoon class, to please contact the school," says Darcy. The school’s number is 553-1142 and the office is open from 8 a.m/ to 4 p.m. Commission elects officers, deals with OEPBS failure Arthur S. Bensell, Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, was elected chairman of the Commission on Indian Services at its regular meeting at the State Capitol on October 12. Jim St. Martin, Tribal Manager for the Burns Paiute tribe, was elected by the Commission to be its vice- chairman. Both Bensell and St. Martin have served on the Commission on Indian Services since its establishment in 1976 and Bensell has been vice-chairman of the Commission for three one-year terms. Bensell succeeds Warren “Rudy" Clements, Municipal Manager for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs reservation | of Oregon, as chairman. Clements served as chairman for the past two terms. The commission on Indian Services, in other business, adopted a strongly worded resolution objecting to the failure by the Oregon ,Education and Public Broadcasting Service (OEPBS) to honor an agreement with the Burns Paiute Tribe. The tribe had agreed with OEPBS that it would review and comment on a documentary describing traditional Paiute customs before its broadcast. The documentary, entitled “The Earth Is Our Home” was broadcast without such an opportunity being afforded to the Burns Paiute Tribe. In its resolution, the Commission on Indian Services called on the newly-created Commission on Public Broadcasting to hold up all future showings of the documentary by OEPBS until such time as the Burns Paiute Tribe has had a full opportunity to evaluate the program’s authenticity. In addition, the Commission on Public Broadcasting is urged to develop guidelines for the production of other materials concerning Indian tribal acitivités winch will protect tribal interests and allow effective tribal involvement in any future productions. The Commission on Indian Services also reviewed legislative proposals on Indian education programs and social service contracts, and will be holding public hearings on these issues and other concerns of Indian communities in Oregon in developing recommendations to the 1981 session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. In other business, thè Commission on Indian Services received reports from the Governor’s Office on its Affirmative Action 'program, and from the Southwest Oregon Indian Health Project on its activities and plans for improving the delivery of health care service to Indian people in southwestern Oregon. Further information about any of these issues can be received from the Commission on Indian Services, 454 State Capitol, Salem, Oregon 97310, or by calling 378-5481.
