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December
1, 19
A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe
Umpqua Molalla Rogue River Kalapuya Chasta
Spirit Mountain Lodge will open Dec. 21
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Smoke signals
Unique features, inside and out, will adorn Spirit Mountain Lodge.
Photo by Kim Mueller
Grand Ronde residents help hash out road changes
By Oscar Johnson, Staff Reporter
By August of 1999, local residents are scheduled to de
cide on an option for future road developments to High
way 18 which will aid the flow of increased traffic.
The Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments
began the first phase of the Willamina-Grand Ronde
Corridor Refinement Study in April to gather ideas from
area residents and coordinate efforts between the Grand
Ronde Tribe, Oregon state, and Polk and Yamhill coun
ties. :
The study aims to help provide a 20-year plan that
will meet current and future traffic needs on Highway
18 between Steel Bridge Road near Willamina and the
east end of the Van Duzer Corridor.
From 1976 to 1996 the amount of daily traffic on
Highway 18 has doubled near Grand Ronde Road and
has climbed two and one-half times for Valley Junction
for the same period, according to Wayne Rickert, Com
mittee Staff member for the Council of Governments.
Last year the number of vehicles using Highway 18
just east of Valley Junction, the most congested area
between Willamina and Grand Ronde, was averaged
the highest ever at 18,000 per day, according to Rickert.
He added that a typical two-lane highway such as
Highway 18 is designed to average only 10,000 ve
hicles per day.
He also offered statistics showing that in the last six
years the number of traffic accidents in the area have
shown an overall increase from 17 in 1992 to 29 last
year.
"We've run some simulations," said Rickert. "You
can start to see August Sunday traffic on a daily basis
in the summer along the (Highway 18) corridor."
In order to address the issue, the Council of Govern
ments began collecting data on the strip of highway in
April. Soliciting input through local public meetings
and analyzing the various alternatives are the second
and third stages of the project which are currently un
der way.
Once a plan is determined additional public state, town
and county meetings are likely to take place as various
jurisdictions decide whether or not to adopt the pro
posal, Rickert said.
continued on page 5
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde PRESORTED
Community of Oregon FIRST-CLASS MAIL
9615 Grand Ronde Road U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 SALEM, OR
ci0 Rnmjested PERMIT NO. 178
, Serials Dept. - Knight Library
! 1299 UNIVERSITV OF OREGON
; EUGENE OR 97403-1205
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By Tracy Dugan, Editor
The Tribe's new 100-room hotel,
Spirit Mountain Lodge, is scheduled
for completion and a grand opening
Dec. 21. The $9 million hotel is the
last of three phases of expansion af
ter the completion of Spirit Mountain
Casino and Legends restaurant.
Among the Lodge's special features
and amenities will be the bronze foun
tain (featured in the last issue of
Smoke Signals), the Hall of Legends,
and rustic stripped wood furnishings.
"We are trying to provide top ac
commodations to folks who are va
cationing, passing through, as well
as to those folks who choose Grand
Ronde as a spot for conferences, re
treats, and family gatherings," said
Mark Holland, the hotel's General
Manager.
Most of the forty-person staff have
been hired already, some of whom
are tribal members. Staff are cur
rently going through training to get
ready for grand opening, according
to Holland.
Spirit Mountain Lodge began ac
cepting reservations last month, and
has already fully booked for New
Year's Eve.
A unique feature to all this expan
sion will be the Hall of Legends, a
ninety-foot walkway which will con
nect from the hotel lobby to the Ca
sino arcade area. The Hall of Leg
ends will feature murals, special ef
fects simulating the changing of sea
sons, and three-dimensional trees and
rocks. The holograms and special
effects lighting will give the illusion
that visitors are walking through a for
est. Tribal stories, told in Chinook
jargon, will play all through the Hall
of Legends.
"This is another form of entertain
ment the Casino has to offer," said
Tammy Cook, Guest Services Man
ager for Spirit Mountain Casino.
"This could have been a plain corri
dor leading to the Casino, but the
Tribe chose to create something spe
cial." Cook says that the simulated forest
will have trees with faces, and they
will appear to be doing the story tell
ing. The ceiling and flooring will
look like sky and forest trails. De
pending upon which season a person
is walking through, it may appear
snowy, or the floor may show ani
mal tracks in the woods.
Cook said that Spirit Mountain
continued on page 5