That's 25 years down, 25 millennia to go
The most basic human instinct is to survive.
Go ahead and judge others whose paths to prosperity might run counter to yours theologically, ideologically or in some other way. But grant all beings this: As long as they aren’t enjoying their ways at the expense of you enjoying yours, they have as much right to survive as you do.
That’s an essential theme for our southern neighbors, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Twenty-five years ago this week, a people who faced otherwise long odds against carving out a happy future opened a bingo hall. They hadn’t had the cash to start their venture; it all hinged on getting a loan for almost $3 million, which no bank was willing to risk. But they pulled it off and opened the doors with 93 employees, many who had never held a job before.
While you might not hear the word “desperation” in the chorus of reverie this week, the tribal members who turned wetland into wonderland understood that the very future of their fellows depended on this economic roll of the dice. Everything depended on it.
How successful was it? Well, take a short drive down U.S. 95 and see for yourself.
Today, the Coeur d’Alene Casino offers a full plate of almost everything a visitor could want. Fine food. Nice rooms. Clean gaming spaces. Relaxing spas. Fabulous golf. Cultural excursions that venture into the ethereal.
Going back generations, Tribal members have prided themselves on being good businesspeople. Try this business exercise on for size: To get that bingo hall built, the Tribe received a $2.9 million government loan on a 15-year note. They paid it off in three years. Today, the Tribe employs 850 people during low season and 1,100 during high season with many good-paying, fully benefited jobs. Only 22 percent of those jobs are held by Tribal members. The wealth is spread well beyond reservation borders.
In recent memory, the Tribe and various segments outside tribal lands have endured bitter disputes. Ownership of Lake Coeur d’Alene went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and water rights are being negotiated today. Burning fields of grass to strengthen the soil but temporarily pollute the air was another fight. And of course, going back to gaming’s humble beginnings here, some have objected strenuously to the dangers unleashed in a gambler’s beating heart. Challenges to Tribes’ right to offer gaming are as regular as upsets during March Madness.
Yet that bingo hall was the beginning of a future that might otherwise have died in poverty, sickness and tears.
Good neighbors to the south: Congratulations on your inspiring story not just of survival, but of success.
Long may you run.