Those living in Fountain Hills in May of 1992 likely will not forget the weeks of tension between the state and U.S. governments and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

The situation had been building for several months as government and tribal officials had been skirmishing with lawyers over the limits of tribal gaming operations.

On the morning of May 12, federal agents moved to shut down five tribal casinos that featured slot machines, including one at Fort McDowell.

Agents had little trouble at four of the sites, but not so with Fort McDowell.

As they prepared to roll out with moving vans filled with the slot machines that had just been confiscated, they found themselves literally boxed in by angry tribal members.

Each May residents of Fort McDowell celebrate Sovereignty Day to commemorate the standoff.

This year, on the 25th anniversary of the raid, the celebration will be held Friday, May 12.

Activities will begin at the Fort McDowell Parks & Recreation Center on Fort McDowell Road beginning at 7 a.m.

At 7:15 a.m. participants will begin the commemorative walk from the recreation center to the WeKoPa Resort and Conference Center.

The official program will begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue through a luncheon at the resort.

The commemorative march will be to remember the two-day march from Fort McDowell to the State Capitol in Phoenix in 1992 to protest the confiscation of the gaming equipment.

The public is invited to join in the march and celebration.

Standoff

Twenty-five years ago, as part of the standoff with federal officials, residents used their own cars and trucks as well as a human wall to prevent the moving vans from leaving the casino parking lot.

They were backed up when tribal officials called in heavy equipment from the Fort McDowell Sand and Gravel operation.

While a mass of people blocking the only exit from the parking lot presented one set of problems, massive quarry trucks parked in the middle of the road would prevent the vans from getting off the reservation if they got out of the parking lot.

This was the beginning of a stand-off that would last about three weeks.

Then Governor Fife Symington came to Fountain Hills the afternoon of May 12 to sit down at Town Hall to negotiate a “cooling off” period with Yavapai Nation President Clinton Pattea.

This “cooling off” period provided the opportunity for Native Americans from all over the United States to gather at Fort McDowell to pow wow and protest the government crackdown.

During this time one could wander among the moving van trailers in the casino parking lot and find an odd mix of tribal supporters in native dress, media and lawyers in suits.

The pow wow drum beat was nearly endless during this time. Open a window for the cool night air in Fountain Hills and the continuous pounding on the drums could be heard.

Tribal members and their supporters from across the country staged a two-day march from Fort McDowell to the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix to protest their view of the heavy-handed government tactics.

The moving vans eventually left Fort McDowell with their cargo of slot machines – weeks baking inside the vans in the hot May sun did little to help the sensitive electronics in the machines.

They were stored at a warehouse in Phoenix for a time, but eventually returned to a storage site in Fountain Hills where they were ultimately destroyed.

It was November when Symington sat down with representatives of 16 Arizona tribal communities, including Pattea, and signed new gaming compacts for the reservations.

The standoff at Fort McDowell, along with ensuing public support, eventually brought the state to the negotiating table and helped establish the Indian gaming system as it exists today in Arizona.