FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2025

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes affirm commitment to Mountain Home Economic Development Project

FORT HALL, ID – The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (Tribes) reaffirm their commitment to developing a world-class resort and entertainment venue in Mountain Home, Idaho. The effort has been years in the making and is rooted in the Tribes’ long-standing connection to their ancestral homelands.

The Fort Hall Business Council, under the leadership of Chairman Lee Juan Tendoy, expressed confidence in the project’s potential to bring meaningful economic growth and job creation to Mountain Home, Elmore County, and the surrounding region.

“We remain dedicated to creating a vibrant destination that honors our history while building opportunities for future generations,” said Chairman Tendoy. “This project will have a lasting and positive impact for our people and for the broader community.”

In 2020, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes purchased 157 acres of land adjacent to the City of Mountain Home, part of their traditional territory known as the Great Camas Prairie. The site is the proposed location for a large-scale destination featuring a casino with 2,000 gaming machines, a 250-room hotel, an event center, multiple dining options, an amphitheater, a bowling alley, a movie theater, an arcade, and a Tribal Cultural Center.

The Tribes have engaged in extensive planning and taken deliberate steps to move the project forward, including outreach to local communities, coordination with government partners, and a commitment to following all regulatory and approval processes.

While aware of recent announcements regarding a proposed casino resort by the Shoshone-Paiute and Coeur d’Alene Tribes, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes remain focused on their vision and priorities. In previous years, the Fort Hall Business Council extended an invitation to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes to partner on the Mountain Home project, offering shared ownership and benefits. That offer was respectfully declined.

“We recognize that each Tribe must determine its own path to economic development,” said Chairman Tendoy. “For us, this project is about more than business, it’s about reclaiming a presence in our ancestral lands and creating opportunities for our citizens and our neighbors.”

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes acknowledge the challenges many Tribal Nations face in accessing the infrastructure, funding, and opportunities necessary for long-term prosperity. In that spirit, the Tribes remain committed to respectful collaboration and to solutions that uplift Native communities across the region.

With determination and a clear plan, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are confident that the Mountain Home Economic Development Project will catalyze positive change—economically, culturally, and socially—for decades to come.

###