Closure notices were posted on the darkened Eastern Shoshone Business Council office on Jan. 12, 2026, two days after a special general council tribal meeting threw the leadership body into upheaval. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)
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FORT WASHAKIE—Closure notices were posted on the darkened Eastern Shoshone Business Council office doors Monday, two days after a special tribal council meeting threw the leadership panel into upheaval.

“The Eastern Shoshone Business Council (ESBC) is shutting down the tribal offices effective on January 12th, 2026, until the Non-Sanctioned Eastern Shoshone Council Meeting Actions are resolved through tribal court,” the hot-pink notice read. 

The business council governs the tribe, one of two on the Wind River Reservation, overseeing tasks such as enacting tribal law and managing resources for the Eastern Shoshone people. 

Chairman Wayland Large of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, left, and Chairman Keenan Groesbeck of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, right, stand as Gov. Mark Gordon recognizes them at his 2025 State of the State address. (Mike Vanata/WyoFile)

Because the office was closed, no individuals were available to answer questions. 

But notices and comments posted on the tribe’s Facebook account indicate all six members of the business council were removed by a vote of the general council during Saturday’s special meeting. The validity of that meeting and vote are now being challenged.  

Going into the meeting, current members on the panel included Chairman Wayland Large, along with Clinton Glick, Gloria St. Clair, Gus Thayer, Stanford Ware and Latonna Snyder. 

An agenda shared on the Eastern Shoshone Tribe’s Facebook Page on Dec. 30 listed as business items: “nepotism,” “mismanagement of Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel” and “removal of all (6) current Shoshone Business Council Members.”

General council meetings are open to all enrolled members who are 18 or older. A quorum of 75 must be met within a certain time and all members vote. Roughly 4,000 enrolled Eastern Shoshone tribal members live on the reservation, according to the Interior Department. 

The Shoshone Rose Casino pictured in January 2026. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

According to Facebook chatter on Monday, a quorum did indeed vote to oust the panel and replace it with six new individuals. 

However, Monday’s notice on the office door — as well as prior public notices the tribe released — indicate challenges to the procedural validity of the petition at the center of the conflict and describe Saturday’s meeting actions as “non-sanctioned.”

All finances and business will be at a standstill as the offices are closed, according to the notice. 

“We apologize for any financial inconvenience this may cause you at this time,” the notice read. “We want to reassure you that we are working diligently to resolve these matters in a timely manner.”

Katie Klingsporn reports on outdoor recreation, public lands, education and general news for WyoFile. She’s been a journalist and editor covering the American West for 20 years. Her freelance work has...

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