Medford Casino: Coquille Tribe Emerges Triumphant
MEDFORD, Ore. — The Coquille Tribe has emerged triumphant after a decade-long struggle to gain permission to open a casino in Medford.
The Casino Faced Strong Opposition
They have been strongly opposed by three main rivals – the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians, the Karuk Tribe, and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation. One of their main objections was that a casino in Medford would harm their people economically.
Application Approved by the Department of the Interior
A Record of Decision was issued yesterday by the U.S. Department of the Interior approving the transfer of a two-acre parcel of land in Medford as part of the Coquille Restoration Act.
The Coquille Restoration Act was passed in 1989, restoring the Tribe’s status as a sovereign Indian Nation with the federal government.
The act created a restoration area involving five counties in which Tribes could take land into trust for economic development. Jackson County, home to Medford, is one of the five counties in the restoration area and is also home to many Coquille Indians.
The federal government’s approval of transferring land in Medford into trust forms part of the Coquille Tribe’s broader reservation restoration plan.
The approval is viewed as a decision by the government to meet its trust obligations to Indian Tribes. The transfer of the Medford land into trust will help the Coquille to stimulate economic development by generating revenue from the casino.
The Coquille have welcomed the long-fought-for approval that fulfills promises made to the Tribe via the Coquille Restoration Act.
Medford City Councilor Kevin Stine believes that the casino will create work and stimulate economic growth in Jackson County.
The Coquille Tribe is optimistic that the approval will be a catalyst for other Confederated Tribes such as the Siletz Indians and KOI Nation who have also been involved in protracted negotiations and are awaiting approval from the Department of the Interior for similar applications.
Takeaway
The Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians operates a casino in Canyonville, Oregon. They opposed the Coquille application as they believed a casino in Medford, a little over an hour’s drive away, would damage their tribe economically.