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.
Advertisement
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.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Yeah, nothing brings to mind living in harmony with the land like a good wave pool. Hooray for the Kiowas. I hope they take the focus of the place into a more strictly historic and cultural park.
They should add a water park in its boundaries, keeping with family orientation. Just a thought. I have enjoyed the park of the times our family would visit
I'm glad to see somebody is making an effort to resurrect the place. I've been going to Indian City since the late 60's and have watched it slide into it's present state of ruin over the last several decades. I was astonished to see they put a $3 million dollar price tag on it back in '04! No wonder they couldn't sell it! How anyone could justify that kind of a price tag after letting fall into ruin is beyond me. Now if the Kiowa Nation wants to build a casino on it, that's their business. Do we need another casino in Oklahoma? I can't say but Indian gaming is generating more dollars for this State than anything the Legislature is working on and the Kiowas aren't trying to stick the people of with a bill to "upgrade" a place for a basketball team to play in.
6
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).