Proposed Columbia Gorge casino facts for kids

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are a group of Native American tribes in Oregon, USA. In the early 2000s, they wanted to build a large casino in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. This project was planned for Cascade Locks, Oregon. It would have been a big place with 250 hotel rooms. The tribes stopped working on this plan in 2013.

The proposed casino site was inside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It was also next to a special wilderness area. However, it was within the city limits of Cascade Locks. This is important because the Scenic Area rules allow for new businesses inside city limits.

The idea for the casino had both supporters and people who were against it. The City of Cascade Locks and Hood River County supported it. But Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber was against it. The plan needed approval from the United States Department of the Interior. If built, it would have been one of the first casinos in Oregon not located on tribal land.

Why a Casino in the Gorge?

Native American tribes often build casinos to help their communities. The Warm Springs tribes already had a resort called Kah-Nee-Ta. It had been open since the 1960s. However, Kah-Nee-Ta was far from big cities like Portland. This made it hard for many people to visit.

The tribes wanted a casino in a more popular spot. They hoped a new casino closer to Portland would bring in more money. This money would then be used for important tribal programs and services.

Political Challenges and Support

Building a casino off tribal land is a big decision. It needs approval from the state governor and the US government.

Early Casino Ideas

Other tribes in Oregon had also thought about building casinos off their main lands. For example, the Siletz tribe wanted a casino in Troutdale in the 1990s. This idea was also opposed by the governor at the time.

The Warm Springs tribes owned land in Hood River and Cascade Locks. They considered both places for a casino.

Governor Kitzhaber's View

Governor John Kitzhaber had two main reasons for opposing the Cascade Locks casino. First, he believed each tribe should have only one casino. Second, he thought tribal casinos should be on land that was already set aside for the tribe before 1988. A law called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed in 1988. This law gave the governor power to say no to new casinos on land not held by the tribe before 1988. The Cascade Locks land was bought after 1988.

Kitzhaber did not have the same power over the Hood River site. The tribes had owned that land for a longer time.

Impact on Elections

The casino issue became very important in Oregon politics. It even affected the 2002 election for governor. The Warm Springs tribes gave a lot of money to political campaigns during that time. Ted Kulongoski, who became governor, received money from tribes. He did not say if he supported or opposed the casino during his election campaign.

Different Plans and Support

In 2001, the Warm Springs tribes bought more land near Hood River. For a few years, they worked on two different casino plans. One was for Cascade Locks, and the other was for the Hood River property. The Hood River plan was for a very tall, eight-story casino. Many people living in Hood River were against this idea.

Some important politicians supported the casino project. These included Oregon Congressman Greg Walden and Oregon Senator Ted Ferrioli. Former Oregon Governors Vic Atiyeh and Ted Kulongoski also supported it. In 2005, Governor Kulongoski and the Warm Springs tribe made an agreement. This agreement allowed the casino plans to move forward.

Who Opposed the Casino?

Not everyone supported the casino. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon were strongly against it. They operate their own casino, Spirit Mountain Casino. They spent a lot of money in elections to oppose the Cascade Locks project.

Other groups also opposed the casino. These included the Oregon Restaurant Association, Friends of Columbia Gorge, and a group of local residents called NoGorgeCasino. Congressman David Wu was also against the plan. In the 2010 election for governor, all four main candidates said they were against the casino plan.

Final Decision

For the casino to be built, the United States Secretary of the Interior had to give final approval. Secretary Dirk Kempthorne from the George W. Bush administration was generally against casinos off tribal lands. He did not make a decision on the Warm Springs plan.

In January 2011, the Interior Department approved an agreement between the tribes and the state. The next steps would have been to show the plan followed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The governor would also need to give final approval.

In 2011, the tribes announced new plans for their Kah-Nee-Ta resort. They wanted to move it closer to a main highway. This showed they were still thinking about long-term plans for their businesses.

However, in the summer of 2013, the Warm Springs tribes decided to stop trying to build a casino in the Columbia River Gorge.