Confederated Tribes Of Grand Ronde Purchase Paper Mill Site
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have finalized their purchase of the former Blue Heron paper mill site at Willamette Falls.
The site that was once home to the Charcowah village of the Clowewalla as of Wednesday belongs to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
They bought the 23-acre site from Washington developer George Heidgerken. The property is located within the tribes’ ancestral homelands and holds significant historical and cultural importance for the Grand Ronde.
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy says they have reclaimed a piece of their homeland and are resurrecting their role as caretakers to Willamette Falls.
The area is part of the lands ceded to the United States government under the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855. Following the treaty, tribal members were forcibly removed from Willamette Falls and relocated to Grand Ronde.
