Reservation’s reservations
By Siobhan Braun, June 5, 2013
The Pala Indian reservation sits 40 miles northeast of San Diego, on 12,333 acres in the middle of the San Luis Rey River Valley. If you approach from along Highway 76, a winding, two-lane road that takes you through Palomar Mountain’s foothills, the first landmark you see is the Pala Casino. It’s a Las Vegas–style casino and hotel, and it looks garish among the modest tribal-member-owned ranch-style homes and rundown businesses. The casino boasts over 2000 slot and video machines, 87 table games, a 9-table poker room, and a 507-room hotel. It opened its doors on April 13, 2001.
If, instead of
entering the casino’s parking garage, you make a left onto Pala Mission
Road, you wind up in the heart of the reservation. Remnants of the
tribe’s past are evident along this main drag. A scruffy mutt with
matted white fur roams the graveled lot in front of a run-down
fruit-and-vegetable stand. Next door is a small, paint-chipped Mexican
restaurant and hamburger joint. Double-wide trailers house a beauty
salon and a tattoo parlor. A few blocks farther and you come to the
Mission San Antonio de Pala. A white picket fence surrounds a cemetery
overrun with wildflowers. Wooden headstones tilt over the graves, etched
with old tribal family names. The mission opened June 13, 1816, and it
is the last California mission still in operation. Across the street
sits the Pala General Store, established in 1867. Tribal elders sit on a
weathered bench out in front and watch the comings and goings.
Can you find the big secret in this casino? Read Full Article Here
