Ors . C u.L .
F.
78
.06
Historical Marker
Visitors will read the
following narrative:
Indians inhabited Oregon 's inland val
leys for thousands of years before Euro
Americans began to arrive in the late
18th Century. In the early 1780s, and
again in the 1830s, diseases spread by
seafarers and fur trappers swept through
Oregon's valleys killing most of the na
tive population. The opening of the Or
egon Trail in the 1840s increased pres
sure to remove the remaining Indians
from their homelands.
In 1856, the U.S. Government created
the Grand Ronde Reservation, and in the
winter of 1857, federal troops forced the
native people to leave their aboriginal
lands and march to the reservation.
The Grand Ronde reservation, origi
nally 70,000 acres, was later divided into
individual parcels for the Indians, and
"surplus" land was sold to non-Indians.
In 1954, the Grand Ronde Tribe was
"terminated, " and all but 7-12 acres of
the Tribe's land was sold. Termination
meant the U.S. Government no longer
recognized the Tribe or its people as In
dians. In 1983, after a prolonged and dedi
cated effort by tribal members and their
supporters, the UJS. Government restored
the Tribe to federal recognition. In 1988,
Congress re-established a 9,811 acre res
ervation in the mountains north of Grand
Ronde. The Tribe has since acquired ad
ditional land, built a community center,
and developed education, health care,
and other programs for tribal members.
The Tribe has also embarked upon an
ambitious economic development pro
gram as part of its plan to achieve self-sufficiency.
INSIDE:
Critical Investment Issues, page 2
Job Fair, page 3
Pow-wow '95, pages 10 and 11
H
istorical Marker unveilea
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Tammy Cook, Mark Mercier, Diana Robertson, Kathryn Harrison, and Andy Jenness pose next to the His
torical Marker erected last month on Highway 18. The marker depicts the history of the Grand Ronde Tribe.
By Tracy Dugan
A historical marker was unveiled in Grand Ronde on July
18. Located on Highway 18, about one-quarter of a mile
east of Grand Ronde Road, this is the 97th marker to be
erected in Oregon's Historical Marker Program.
The marker depicts tribal photos and a summary of the
history of the Grand Ronde Tribe and its people.
Tribal Council and staff members have been working on
this marker project for a couple of years. The process in
volved meeting about location, text, and design of the
marker.
At the dedication ceremony, Ila Dowd delivered the
Lord's Prayer in Chinook jargon.
Guest speakers included Tom Bunn of the Yamhill
County Board of Commissioners who said, "It has been
my great pleasure to watch the growth and development of
this tribal community. My hope is that my children's chil
dren will increasingly recognize your rich history."
Other guests included Kris Olson, U.S. Attorney in Or
egon; Tim Simmons, Assistant U.S. Attorney tribal liason;
and Lois Hanson of the Travel Information Council.
Lois Hanson said the Historical Marker Program began
in 1939, with the help of the Oregon Historical Society.
The marker program is administered by the Oregon Travel
Information Council and is usually co-sponsored by a com
munity group.
Historical markers preserve, honor, and educate the pub
lic about the history and geology of Oregon, and the di
verse culture of its people.
The Tribe hopes the marker will be a point of interest for
many tourists and visitors.