A Look Into The Past
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The Kumeyaay Nation once encompassed the lands from northern San Diego county to
the dunes of the Imperial Valley and south beyond Ensenada, Mexico. The Kumeyaay were
organized along clan lines called Sh'mulq. The clans maintained complex familial, spiritual
and militaristic alliances with each other. When threatened by an outside adversary, the clans
would come together under a Kwachut G'tay to meet the threat.
The Kumeyaay were the most resistant of all the California tribes to the conversions efforts of
the Spanish priests. Following the founding of the Mission in San Diego in 1769, it was over a
year before the Mission had its first converts. Spanish weaponry and armor made the soldiers
virtually invincible to the wood and stone weapons of the Kumeyaay. Nevertheless, the
Kumeyaay launched repeated attacks on the Spanish throughout their 52 year occupation.
The most famous of these was the attack and destruction of the San Diego Mission in 1775.
Because of this resistance the Spanish seldom controlled more than a 30 mile strip of the coast.
In 1821, following the successful Mexican revolution, California became part of Mexico. The Mexican government sought to eliminate the Spanish system centered on the Missions and
Pueblos. Lands were carved up for distribution as Ranchos and Indians were either evicted or
forced to work as laborers. This resulted in a massive uprising of Kumeyaay throughout their
territory. Armed with modern weaponry and horses, Kumeyaay warriors launched recurring
raids on the Mexican ranchos. By 1842, the ranchos had been abandoned and the warriors
were attacking the last stronghold, the City of San Diego. The City was spared destruction by
the entry of another faction, the United States of America.
In 1846, General Kearney led his forces to San Diego. Although offered allegiance by
Kumeyaay in Santa Ysabel, Kearney only asked that the Kumeyaay stay out of the battle.
He promised fairness for the Indians under the United States. The Mexican-American War
ended in 1848 and the border was drawn through the heart of Kumeyaay lands. In 1852,
the Kumeyaay Kwa-pai met in Santa Ysabel and negotiated a treaty with the United States.
This treaty was the mechanism whereby the Kumeyaay people acknowledged their status as
a nation within a nation.
Unfortunately, the Treaty of Santa Ysabel was illegally and unethically voted down and placed
under seal by the Senate of the United States. State sponsored militias then sought to enslave
or exterminate all Indians in California. The population of Indians in California dropped by 90%
from 1850 to 1860. Because of the nearby Mexican border and the lack of large gold strikes to
lure more Americans, the Kumeyaay fared somewhat better than tribes further north. This did
not prevent the break up of the Kumeyaay territories into fragmented parcels, however.
In 1875, the first of these parcels began to be converted to Reservation trust land. Further
additions were taken into trust over the next 25 years including the first portion of the Campo
Indian Reservation in 1893. The Campo Valley was known as Meelqsh G'tay (or Big Open
Meadow) and was known by the local non-Indians as Milguatay. Eventually, it was translated
into the Spanish word for field or country.
In 1904, the seal of secrecy was removed from the Treaty of Santa Ysabel. Many decent
people were unaware that Treaties had been negotiated and were ashamed of the actions of
the United States. An organization called the Mission Indian Federation was formed to promote
the establishment of rights for Indian people in southern California. The Federation challenged
the authority of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and pushed for full citizenship rights for Indian
people. In 1927, Federation supporters clashed with Bureau police resulting in shootings and
deaths on the Campo Indian Reservation.
Recognizing the legal ambiguities in federal policy toward tribes, the United States passed
the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. This act undercut the legal basis for many of the
Federations positions and the organization began to lose influence.
In 1950, the United States began a widespread program to terminate Indian
tribes. Many tribes in California were legislated out of existence. The Federation rallied for one
last fight and helped to defeat termination legislation targeting southern California tribes. Public
Law 280 was also passed during this time, allowing California law enforcement authority on tribal lands. County agencies, linked with the school districts, sought to remove Indian children from their homes and adopt them out. Many parents had no knowledge of their legal rights and
many did not even speak English. Children would go to school and never return. The County
excused their actions by pointing to the poverty and substandard housing on the Reservation
as justification for removing the children.
In the 1960’s public assistance and food programs began to become the mainstays
of tribal existence. Efforts to establish economic development were continually hampered by
discriminatory taxation policies of the State of California and hostility by County residents to
any tribal development.
In 1975 the Indian Self Determination Act was passed by the United States. This legislation
gave more authority to the Tribes to determine their own priorities and manage their affairs.
In 1978, the Campo people designated the area near the Crestwood freeway off-ramp as an
area for economic development.
In the 1980’s several proposals for development at the freeway site were considered
and dropped either for feasibility reasons or for lack of financing. The State threats and attacks
on gaming made it impossible for Campo to pursue. In the 1990's, the impasse with the State
began to show signs of breaking. The Campo people decided to begin the process of
developing a casino. In 1997, an environmental evaluation was started for the Crestwood
area and a draft Environmental Assessment was published for public review in 1998. By 2000,
financial backers were secured and the initial working agreements were approved by Campo.
In 2001 the facility was constructed and opening day occurred on August 15, 2001.
