WORLEY, Idaho — Long before it became the destination that it is today, the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel was a bingo hall.
And long before the bingo hall, it was a sprawling, open expanse of land long used by the Coeur d'Alene people.
"This place took care of us for generations and generations," Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council Chairman Chief Allan told the Coeur d'Alene Press. "It's going to take care of us for generations more."
But somewhere between its ancient, natural existence and its modern, bright new life, a dream was dreamed for this land that would forever change the face of North Idaho and the Coeur d'Alene community.
"My dad was a very faithful man. He said this place is dependent on God; he always gave God the credit," said Coeur d'Alene casino cultural affairs director Quanah Matheson, whose father, former casino CEO Dave Matheson, was one of those dreamers.
"I know my dad, and he's a visionary. He's a hardcore business man — he almost doesn't want to take no for an answer. It was the (Tribal) Council back then — they made him believe his vision."
After much discussion, financial planning and praying, things changed for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and its neighbors: A high-stakes bingo hall officially opened its doors 25 years ago this week.
"It was pretty foreign," said casino public affairs and cultural tourism director Laura Stensgar, who was working in the planning department of the Tribe when discussions of a bingo hall first began.
"It was like, 'Wow, you're going to build a bingo hall in a field outside of Worley?' It was a wetland. There were ducks floating around. It seemed pretty silly at the time," Stensgar said.
Stensgar said she remembers when Coeur d'Alene Tribal Bingo opened on that chilly spring day of March 23, 1993.
"There was snow on the ground. We were really worried about the weather and people coming. We had no idea what to expect," she said. "We were nervous."
It was a time of uncertainty for the Tribe, which had put an immense amount of effort and faith into this new venture. Many of the 93 employees, including tribal members, had never worked before. Several were only seasonal employees without much workforce experience.
Quanah was in high school when the bingo hall opened.
"I went into that place. I could tell from the energy from the people it was kind of scary, brand new, like, 'What's going to happen?'" he said.
The anticipation of opening day was almost palpable as everyone prepared for a moment that would change the course of Tribal history.
"We all kind of had that sense that this is part of something great and we were a part of it. It was an exciting time for the Tribe," Stensgar said. "We had a cheer and a prayer before we opened. It was just so awesome. We walked out and there were people just waiting to walk in the door."
The new bingo hall that could seat about 1,000 people was immediately filled with excited hopefuls wanting to get in on the high-stakes bingo offered by the new venue.
"My first memories were that it was amazing to see our tribal people working and contributing toward our future," said present casino CEO Francis SiJohn. "There was a buzz and it wasn't just with the tribal members. The community and the vendors were excited, too. New relationships were built and established amongst community members, other businesses and with other tribes. Bingo was held every day, although the biggest days were on the weekends."
Ten regular bingo games enticed players with payouts of $1,000 per game.
"That was something new and different," Stensgar said.
Coeur d'Alene Tribal Bingo was inspired by what other tribes were doing on their lands, Stensgar said. The Colville Tribes had started building a successful bingo venue in Omak, and she said a reservation in Green Bay, Wis., already had a huge destination casino back in 1993 similar to what the Coeur d'Alene Casino has now.
A $2.9 million loan was needed to build this humble bingo hall, a goal that seemed unreachable.
"We talked to several banks and they had the same connotation: 'You're going to make money with bingo? No way,'" Stensgar said. "They didn't understand the return on investment with bingo. We were turned down by three banks."
Fortunately, Dave had worked for the government and the U.S. Department of the Interior, so he knew of loan programs that would get this dream off the ground.
"We received the loan for $2.9 million with a 15-year note and we paid it off in three years," Stensgar said with a chuckle. "Now banks are knocking on our door."
A vision, a leap of faith, a bold action taken by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe to build a bingo hall out in the middle of nowhere ended up better than any could have imagined. About three years after the hall opened, video gaming machines were brought in "and it seems like we just boomed after that," Stensgar said. "We just grew. The demand was there."
The Coeur d'Alene Casino indeed boomed; it has since undergone four expansions and added hotel rooms, restaurants and lounges, the Circling Raven Golf Course, spa services and more. In 2013, U.S. 95 was rerouted and rebuilt, making the casino's already strategic location even more convenient to access for visitors from all directions.
"We did not know that we would have what we have today. However, I'm proud to say that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe is known to be savvy business people," SiJohn said. "It is important to say that we've always had good intent with the purpose to provide for the overall betterment of our people and our surroundings. With this strong value system, it is inevitable that good things would come and hold promise for all."
This optimism and ability to thrive is depicted in the casino's logo, a horse with rider pointing a staff toward the sky.
"We were thinking about the Trail of Tears. He's defeated, downtrodden, the warrior is looking down, the horse is looking down," Stensgar said. "We thought, 'Let's do the opposite of that. This is the start of a new beginning. There's hope and opportunity. It will be facing toward the open sky, he'll be looking into the sky, the horse will be looking strong.' That's where we started from."
The skyward-peering warrior is a representation of the hope of those first days, before anyone knew the Coeur d'Alene Casino would become a phenomenon, beckoning visitors from all walks of life.
"It's an opportunity. It's a tool for us to use and to utilize to pick ourselves back up, to provide self-sufficiency and take care of ourselves and future generations," Stensgar said.
Through its 25 years in existence, the casino has given more than $33.3 million to Idaho education. This has always been the case; when the Tribal leaders negotiated the gaming compact with the state, they asserted that 5 percent of net profits would support this important cause. That was before the bingo hall was even open.
"They said that's part of our value system," Stensgar said. "We always give back; that's our tradition.
"It's amazing how our Tribal leaders were so smart and also had that value system as far as we need to give back. That's indicative of our tradition," Stensgar continued. "When you pick huckleberries, you leave enough of a crop for next year. Same with hunting — you don't overhunt, you just take what you need. You want to be sure there's enough for the following years."
SiJohn said the bingo hall directly affected the Tribe in a good way, in the form of jobs, morale, pride, revenue and as an effective tool to gain self-sufficiency.
"The community embraced the bingo hall. It was something new, a place to socialize and perhaps win a big jackpot," he said. "People spoke of the friendliness of the staff, warm atmosphere and bingo was fun!"
It all makes sense why the casino's slogan is "Winning is just the beginning," because the casino itself has been winning since its own humble start.
"I am always conscientious of where we started from and why we got into gaming," SiJohn said. "Long ago, our ancestors were cognizant of the perils they faced. They knew they had to protect and preserve the Tribe's lands, waters, culture and identity for the next generations to come. They did a good job; the Coeur d'Alene Tribe is alive and thriving.
"The casino will continue to be one of the brightest and best Native American casino/resorts in this region. We will continue to provide for our employees, Tribe, community and our future generations."