In the first decade of the 2000s, the

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is a recognized Native American tribe made of three tribes who put together a confederation. They live on and govern the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of Oregon. Tribes The confederat ...

(a group of Indian tribes in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

) sought to build a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

in the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the sta ...

. They ended their pursuit of the project in 2013. They considered various sites, as early as 1999; the most extensive plan called for a facility with 250 hotel rooms in

Cascade Locks, Oregon Cascade Locks is a city in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. The city took its name from a set of locks built to improve navigation past the Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River. The U.S. federal government approved the plan for the ...

. The proposed site is within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and adjacent to a federally designated wilderness area, but within the city limits of Cascade Locks. (The Columbia River National Scenic Area specifically exempts economic development projects within city limits and supports such growth for cities on both sides of the Columbia River). The plan, which was opposed by

Oregon Governor The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician who served as the 35th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003, and as the 37th governor of Oregon from 2011 until his resignation in 2015. A member of the Democratic Party ...

, but supported by the City of Cascade Locks, and the government of Hood River County, must be approved by the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

, and would be the first (or seventh) off-reservation casino in the state.

Political context

The Siletz tribe advocated for an off-reservation casino in Troutdale as early as 1992, drawing opposition from then-governor

Barbara Roberts Barbara Kay Roberts (née Hughey; born December 21, 1936) is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, she served as the List of Governors of Oregon, 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995. She was the first List ...

. As early as 1998, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs owned property in Hood River, and were entertaining controversial plans to open a casino there or in Cascade Locks. The Warm Springs tribes have operated the

Kah-Nee-Ta Kah-Nee-Ta Resort & Spa was a resort in central Oregon, United States, on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, near the community of Warm Springs in Jefferson County. It closed on 5 September 2018, laying off all its employees. It is plann ...

resort since the 1960s; that resort, located 11 miles from Highway 26, is not very accessible to

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

, leading the tribes to seek a more lucrative location. Then-governor

opposed the plans, on two principles: that each tribe should have only one casino, and that tribal casinos should be on tribal trust land established before the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (, ''et seq.'') is a 1988 United States federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian gaming. There was no federal gaming structure before this act. The stated purposes of the act ...

of 1988. Federal law gave Kitzhaber the power to deny the tribe the Cascade Locks location, because it had not been held in trust prior to the 1988 law. He had no such power over the Hood River site or other land the tribes had held for a longer period of time. Kitzhaber ultimately overruled the Cascade Locks location, but the issue overshadowed the 2002 gubernatorial election of

Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...

. The tribes made record political contributions during that election. Kulongoski, who took no position on the issue during the election, received $40,000 for his campaign from Indian tribes. In 2001, the Confederated Tribes purchased an additional of land east of the city of Hood River, adjoining it already owned. The Confederated Tribes then pursued two separate plans for casinos in the gorge until 2004: one in Cascade Locks, the other on the Hood River property. The Hood River plan, which would have called for an eight-story casino, was opposed by Hood River residents. Hood River County Commissioner Carol York was also a strong advocate of the Cascade Locks location, rather than the Hood River location. The project has the support of Oregon Congressman Greg Walden (R), who represents this area in Congress. Also publicly supporting the project is Oregon Senator Ted Ferrioli (R) and former Oregon Governors Vic Atiyeh (R) and Ted Kulongoski (D). Kulongoski and the Warm Springs tribe entered an agreement in 2005 permitting the plans to proceed. Opposition to a casino in Cascade Locks has been led by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, and has included other organizations: the Oregon Restaurant Association,

Friends of Columbia Gorge ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

, NoGorgeCasino, a small but vocal group of residents and the Oregon Family Council. Congressman

David Wu David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan, Wu was the first Taiwanese American to serve in ...

has also opposed the casino. The Grand Ronde group was the biggest campaign spender in the 2006 gubernatorial primary election, opposing Kulongoski and

Kevin Mannix Kevin Leese Mannix (born November 26, 1949) is an American politician, business attorney, and former chairman of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Oregon. Mannix has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Demo ...

. Grand Ronde, which operates Spirit Mountain Casino, spent over $800,000 in that cycle. In the 2010 gubernatorial race, all four major candidates (including Kitzhaber, who was ultimately reelected that year) announced their opposition to the plan. The

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

would have to approve a casino for it to move forward. Secretary

Dirk Kempthorne Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...

of the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...

generally opposed off-reservation casinos, but did not make a decision; his successor was expected to consider the proposed casino, along with an off-reservation casino in

La Center, Washington La Center is a town in Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,800 at the 2010 census. History In the 1870s, La Center was a business center and head of navigation on the East Fork of the Lewis River. In late summer, t ...

being proposed by the

Cowlitz Tribe The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Cowlitz people. They are a tribe of Southwestern Coast Salish people, Coast Salish and Sahaptan indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest located in Washington (state), Washington. Oth ...

. In January 2011 the Interior Department approved a compact between the tribes and the state. The remaining steps as of 2011 would include the demonstration of compliance with the

and approval from the governor. In 2011, the tribes announced plans to move the

resort closer to Route 26, as they continued their long-term pursuit of a casino in Cascade Locks. The Warm Springs tribes ended their pursuit of a casino in the gorge in summer 2013.

References

External links

*
Cascade Locks Casino and Resort - Draft Environmental Impact Statement
US Environmental Protection Agency.
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Cascade Locks Resort and Casino EIS Project. * [//www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/08/06/2010-19195/notice-of-availability-of-the-final-environmental-impact-statement-for-the-confederated-tribes-of Announcement of final Environmental Impact Statement]
Cascade Locks page on casino
Buildings and structures in Hood River County, Oregon Casinos in Oregon Columbia River Gorge Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Native American casinos Unbuilt buildings and structures in the United States United States Department of the Interior Proposed buildings and structures in Oregon Native American history of Oregon Unbuilt casinos

Political context

See also

References

External links