The Jackson Rancheria Casino will close from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday in honor of longtime chief Margaret Dalton.

Dalton, one of the pioneers of Indian gambling, died in her sleep Sunday night at age 69 after a long struggle with diabetes.

The crusty, colorful Dalton – who dropped out of school at 16 to get married – took her small tribe of Miwuks from poverty and kerosene lamps to sovereign nation status.

Their casino – one of California's first – makes about $200 million a year, even though it doesn't serve alcohol.

Jackson's alcohol-free casino was "purely an ethical decision on Margaret's part," said the tribe's CEO, Rich Hoffman. "Primarily because we are off the beaten path, we have to take windy roads to get here and we don't want to risk our customers' safety."

The casino is open to patrons 18 and older because Dalton believed that if they could be drafted to fight for their country they should be able to gamble.

"She undoubtedly left millions of dollars a year on the table by the decision not to serve alcohol in the casino, and she never wavered in that regard," said Howard Dickstein, who has served as the tribe's lawyer since the 1970s.

Despite her lack of formal education, Dalton – an avid poker player – had superb business instincts and could read people well, Dickstein said.

She had a funny, tender, caring side, but "it was clear who was in charge," said Dickstein, recalling one meeting of the entire tribe 15 years ago.

"I piped up and said, 'Margaret, I think the constitution calls for an election right about now,'" Dickstein said. "She looked at the membership, and she said, 'All who want an election, stand up.'

"Nobody stood up," said Dickstein. "She just glowered at me, and I never said anything about elections again. Everyone showed her deference – she demanded it."

Dalton, who grew up in Calaveras County of Irish and Miwuk ancestry, helped guide her struggling tribe through the federal government's attempts to disband it.

In the 1960s, the government terminated the federally recognized status of dozens of tribes, breaking the land into individual parcels.

"Margaret discovered that if you elected for termination, the government was obligated to bring in power and put in roads. So she told the government she'd go along with termination," Hoffman recalled. "They finally came and put power and paved roads in for the first time, and then Margaret told them, 'I've changed my mind.' She pulled a fast one on them."

By 1985, Jackson had opened a Bingo Parlor Casino, Dickstein said, and Dalton "was one of the first to put in electronic gaming devices at a time when their legality was pretty gray. … She pushed the envelope."

A lot of people doubted a casino in a remote area would work, said Dalton's brother, vice-chairman Bo Marks. "But by God she made it work."

Not only was Jackson one of the first three Indian casinos in California, it pioneered slot machine pay tickets – a technology now used internationally instead of coin slots, Hoffman said.

Dalton helped other tribes establish casinos.

Jessica Tavares, chairwoman of the United Auburn Indian Community that now runs Thunder Valley, remembers going to Jackson in late 1994. "Margaret gave us hope and inspiration because we had nothing at the time," Tavares said. "I stayed close around her because I wanted to learn whatever I could."

Dalton "was a beacon for tribal women in Indian country," said Paula Lorenzo, chairwoman of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians from 1993 to 2005.

Lorenzo testified before Congress with Dalton about the need for Indian gambling.

"She said, 'Stand your ground and speak your mind with your true heart,' " Lorenzo said. "She said, 'Make sure your people are taken care of before you give to charities.' "

In 1998, Dalton was named businesswoman of the year in Amador County, said tribal spokesman Doug Elmets. "She was responsible for directing tens of millions of dollars in charitable donations into everything from local drug treatment programs to food banks."

In 2002, the tribe built a 10,000-square foot health clinic that serves as many as 100 patients a day from Amador, Mariposa, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties.

The casino Dalton started as a bingo parlor now has 1,700 employees, making the rancheria Amador County's largest employer.

In Indian country, Dalton's 30 years as chairwoman might be a record, Marks said. "Her people knew who they needed to run this show and by God she did it."

Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072.