- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
ORICK, Calif. — The Yurok Tribe of northern California wants to rejuvenate a strategically located gas station and convenience store after acquiring the business and 9-acre property from its former owners.
The tribe plans to begin building a fuel mart, laundromat and tribal government office on the newly ceded land, according to a statement in which officials called the project a “win, win.”
“In addition to providing important services to local residents, the business will produce new employment opportunities and serve as a source of revenue for tribal programs,” Joseph James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe, said in a statement.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The tribe will build a two-story, approximately 6,000-square-foot building to replace the existing Shoreline Market and Deli. The first floor will host a 24-hour mini-mart plus a laundromat, while the second floor will include offices and conference rooms.
“The Yurok Tribe has engaged the Orick community at every stage of this endeavor and we are truly grateful for all of the support we have received. The people of Orick are just as enthusiastic as we are about the plans for this property,” Sherri Provolt, the Orick District Representative on the Yurok Tribal Council, said in a statement. “Owning a modern fuel mart in proximity to one of the busiest parts of Redwood National and State Parks will benefit the Tribe in the present and in the long term.”
The town of Orick was named after a traditional village called “Owr-rekw” and is roughly in the center of the tribe’s ancestral territory on the California coast. The acquisition also marks an important step in reclaiming tribal land for the Yurok.
“Bringing this land back under tribal ownership is just as important as the financial gains it will generate,” James said.
The Shoreline Market property is another component of a long-term tribal plan to create jobs and build a more “resilient” economy in the region.
The Yurok Tribe has invested in three businesses over the past two years. They include Blue Lake, Calif.-based Mad River Brewing Co., Weitchpec Nursery in Hoopa, Calif., and Yurok Redwood Canoe Tours, which will open in 2021 after being delayed this year by the COVID-19 pandemic and offer trips in hand-carved boats down the Klamath River on the tribe’s reservation.
Other business ventures range from gas stations in Klamath and Weitchpec, Klamath Jet Boat Tours, Bluff Creek Resort, Redwood RV Park, Riverside RV Park and Requa Resort, in addition to the Redwood Hotel Casino. The Yurok Tribe also signed a deal in July with the California Department of Parks and Recreation to operate the Stone Lagoon Visitor Center in Humboldt Lagoons State Park.
“We are extremely proud to be moving in such a positive direction,” Raymond Bacon, executive Director of the Yurok Economic Development Corporation, said in a statement. “The actions we are taking today will secure a brighter future for the next generation.”
