Ten years ago, two tent-like structures sprang up seemingly overnight on a steep hill overlooking Alexander Valley, quietly ushering in a new era for gambling in Sonoma County.
It was an inauspicious debut for River Rock Casino: just 60 slot machines at the end of a muddy, pot-holed road, a lack of parking and restrooms in modular buildings.
But the Sept. 15, 2002, opening signaled the arrival of Las Vegas-style gambling on Indian lands, authorized by California voters two years before.
Residents of the scenic valley had fears of a glitzy, garish casino to come, with hordes of players and tour buses clogging the road to the Dry Creek Rancheria. Naysayers believed "we were going to spoil the land, take this wonderful valley and desecrate it," recalls Dry Creek Pomo tribal elder Reg Elgin, 73, who spoke to city councils and community groups to seek support for the casino.
"I said we would contribute to community, provide jobs and cherish the land," he said.
But the hostility was so high, "I used to get death threats," said Elgin, a Marine Corps veteran and retired college administrator.
Although evidence of Pomo villages go back thousands of years in the area and the Dry Creek Band of Pomo has had its 75-acre rancheria there since 1915, "people would say &‘Why don't you go home where you came from,'" he said.
The 24-hour casino overlooking the Russian River off Highway 128 between Geyserville and Healdsburg would soon expand to 1,600 slot machines, 20 blackjack and poker tables, a buffet restaurant and eventually a bar following a protracted fight over a liquor license.
In a little more than five years, River Rock grew into a $140 million annual enterprise and one of the county's 30 largest companies, employing 680 people. Since then, the recession and hike in the price of gasoline have cut into attendance at River Rock, reducing its workforce and revenues.
But it still draws 1.3 million visitors a year, according to casino officials, who also say they intend to expand in a few more years with a permanent gaming hall, a 150- to 200-room hotel and additional restaurants. The current plans envision a more modest version of a $300 million Tuscan-themed, luxury hotel and casino the tribe announced before the economy soured and financing dried up.
The expansion is driven by a competitive threat to the south that will end River Rock's monopoly on Indian gaming in Sonoma County. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have started their long-stalled casino-resort in Rohnert Park just west of Highway 101, expected to open by late next year.
"When you see a big casino like that coming on line with 3,000 machines, or 5,000 machines, whatever it is they're putting in there, it's a big hit north," said Dry Creek Tribal Chairman Harvey Hopkins.
He predicted it will also impact the near dozen smaller Indian casinos to the north in Mendocino and Lake counties.
"It's going to hit everybody," he said, anticipating that some of River Rock's labor force and patrons will be lost to Rohnert Park.
"Three quarters of every day — my day — is spent planning just for this," River Rock Chief Executive David Fendrick said of the dent the competition will make.
He also expects Rohnert Park will grow the gambling market, increasing the number of people who visit casinos.
Fendrick said River Rock will intensify direct mail and promotions to its customers, who are entered into a "player development program" and a sophisticated database.
"Our business model will change to some degree. We'll still have a viable business. We'll pay our bills. We'll make our payments," he said of the $200 million in bond debt refinancing the casino incurred last year.
After its rocky start, River Rock has gained a measure of acceptance from area residents, many of whom were opposed to a gambling hall amid one of Sonoma County's premiere grape-growing areas.
The highly visible steel-framed, circus-like tents on the graded hill were described as a "monstrosity" by county officials when the casino opened. County officials complained there was not adequate environmental review and that fire safety, erosion and traffic issues were not sufficiently addressed.
A prominent seven-story parking garage visible from Highway 101 miles away opened in early 2005. It further incensed Alexander Valley residents who said the tribe had initially denied it was building a casino, then tried to explain the work on the garage as hillside stabilization.
Those conflicts largely have been resolved.
"There is a culture of collaboration between the county and the tribal board of directors," said Sonoma County Supervisor Mike McGuire, whose district includes the casino. "I heartily appreciate — and sincerely mean this — how accessible the tribal board of directors has been on issues."
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