The Pala Band of Mission Indians is still interested in purchasing a ranch within its ancestral territory in southern California.

The tribe offered $20.5 million for the 2,500-acre Warner Springs Ranch but the deal fell through. The property's owners have since closed the resort and filed for bankruptcy.

“The tribe definitely wants to regain their ancestral territory while at the same time preserving the nature of the ranch’s intended purpose,” spokesperson Doug Elmets told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The tribe's ancestors lived in the area before being forced to a reservation at gunpoint in 903.

Get the Story:
Shuttered resort tangled in lawsuits, hard feelings (The San Diego Union-Tribune 5/21)

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Pala Band close to finalizing deal to purchase ranch for $20.5M (03/01)