Barona Tribe
Introduction
In 1870, President Grant set aside land in the Pala and San Pasqual Valleys for the first two reservations in San Diego County. The Executive Order of 1891 forced the Barona Band to move to a reservation area that is now El Capitan Reservoir.
In 1932, without a homeland but with money in their pockets, members of that tribe bought the Barona Ranch which today is the Barona Indian Reservation near Lakeside, about 30 miles northeast of San Diego.
Until the early 1990s, the Barona Tribe lived on their own land but were still struggling economically in the backwoods of San Diego County. In 1994, the tribe, with the consulting guidance of Venture Catalyst, opened the Barona Casino "Big Top."
The casino has become the means to a restoration of self-sufficiency, prosperity and renewed hope. Unemployment and welfare dependency have dropped from 70 percent to zero on the Barona reservation.
Indian gaming is the cornerstone on which tribes such as Barona have begun to build a community, renew their culture and share their good fortune with others. The impact of such a reversal from poverty and despair is likely to impact many future generations. Through Indian gaming revenues, the Barona tribe is now able to provide its members with the basic needs any government should provide its people.
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For additional information
Contact the Barona Tribal Office at 619-443-6612
Barona Tribal Website