ANADARKO, Okla. -- Officials with the Kiowa Tribe planned to sign a deal on Friday that would transfer ownership of an American Indian and Oklahoma landmark to the tribe.
The Kiowa Business Committee negotiated at length Thursday with shareholders of Indian City U.S.A., a historical park located on Oklahoma Highway 8 just south of Anadarko.
"I'm 99.9 percent sure it'll go through," Modina Waters of the tribe's planning commission told the Lawton Constitution.
The tribe will offer an official statement once the deal is formally signed, Waters said.
George C. Moran built the park in 1955 with the help of University of Oklahoma anthropologists.
The 198-acre site holds an Indian village with life-size dwellings of seven Indian tribes — the Apache, Caddo, Kiowa, Navajo, Pawnee, Pueblo and Wichita.
It also contains a gift shop, museum and lodge, campground, amphitheater, two radio towers and an exotic game trail that includes buffalo and antelope.
Moran's son, George F. Moran, has worked at Indian City U.S.A. since 1973 when he took over for his father. He has served as executive director and general manager.
Park shareholders didn't receive acceptable offers when it was initially put up for sale for $3 million in 2004, Moran said.
The board of trustees decided to put it up for sale again in 2006, he said. One of the keys to the sale is the intention of the buyer, and Moran thinks the Kiowas have the right goals in mind.
"It's good to have a buyer with the resources and keep the park as is," Moran said. "I think they will make positive improvements."
The park has been neglected recently, and repairs have been more than an annual operating budget of $140,000 could cover, Moran said.
The park traditionally closes only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
The number of visitors to Indian City has declined since its peak of 150,000 guests a year, Moran said.
"The last few years, it's really slowed down significantly," he said.
