Tribal casino may be coming to Tri-Cities. Colvilles purchase local land

The Colville Tribes have bought land just inside Pasco that could be used for a casino and other economic development projects.

“We want any tribal economic development project to benefit the entire area, creating good-paying new jobs, increasing tourism and providing a catalyst for a number of new businesses,” said Rodney Cawston, chairman of the Colville Business Council.

The Colville Tribes now have casinos in Omak, Coulee Dam and Manson, Wash.

The 184 acres purchased are in in north Pasco. The land is to the east of Highway 395 just north of the Kartchner Street exit on Capitol Avenue.

“The Tri-Cities area is the traditional homeland of the Palus, one of the 12 tribes in the Colville Confederation, and it has been since time immemorial,” Cawston said.

The tribes’ planned economic development is intended to provide employment for Colville members and members of other tribes in the area, as well as for the surrounding communities in general, Cawston said.

Several hundred Colville confederated tribal members live in the Tri-Cities-area.

The Tri-Cities area also gives the tribes access to a more economically vibrant community than found in Ferry and Okanogan counties, where the Colville reservation is located.

No firm plans have been made but Initial development might be a convenience store and gas station, with a possible casino several years away.

The next step will be to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to convert the land to federal trust status for use by the tribes, Cawston said.

Tribal and local government meetings planned

Then the Colvilles would need to work with the state for approval of a gaming license.

Cawston is planning meetings with the Franklin County Commission, Pasco City Council and other Tri-City-area officials soon, he said.

He wants to discuss ways that the local and tribal governments can cooperate on development of the property in ways that would benefit not just the Colville Tribes, but all area residents, he said.

“We intend to be good neighbors,” he said. The Colville Tribes plan consultations with Tri-Cities-area governments throughout the planning process. Public meetings will be held.

The Colville tribes also have an interest in protecting cultural resources and natural resources, including the Columbia River, which borders the tribes’ reservation.

The tribes also will be looking for ways to share their rich cultural history with the Tri-Cities, including in the schools, Cawston said.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have more than 9,300 enrolled members from 12 tribes whose territories stretch from the eastern crest of the Cascades to the Continental Divide. It includes land in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

In 1885, after the Nez Perce War, 150 Palus and Nez Perce members with Chief Joseph and Yellow Bull were moved onto the Colville Reservation northwest of Spokane. Later, more Palus members who were not part of the war were moved onto the reservation.

“Nez Perce and Palus members on the Colville Reservation always lamented the loss of their sacred homelands, which hold the bones of our ancestors,” Cawston said.

They carry on their traditional religion, ceremonies and teachings of their ancestors, he said.

“It has always been our hope to regain some of these lands for the benefit of our people today and for future generations,” Cawston said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 4:35 PM.