Paul G

October 17-- It's hard to imagine with all the overgrown weeds and vandalism at an old Indian boarding school, but developers say it could be the site of a new theme park, that sits between Arkansas City and New Kirk, Oklahoma.

The Otoe-Missouria tribes together own 168 acres at the former Chilocco boarding school.

The school was open from 1884 until 1983. It is listed on the national register of historic place, and the five tribes will soon be renovating the buildings to make a museum.

With the rest of the land, the tribes hope to make a regional attraction, like a theme park or water park. The cost of the project will be more than $300 million, and could employ up to 5,000 people.

While the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Chairman says they are considering a Disney-sized destination, Michael Harwell says they would probably prefer it be an American Indian-themed historical park, talking about the history of the five tribes.

In addition to the theme park, each of the five tribes will be developing its supporting businesses, such as restaurants, cinemas, and hotels.

The Otoe-Missouria tribe just opened a travel center/smoke shop/casino, just a mile away from the park site, and already have plans to expand due to overcrowding. It also has plans to build a $200 million hotel right on the state line, that would have 400 rooms, and several thousand slots and tables.

The tribes say they are trying to capitalize on three growing cities: Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Wichita -- all within an hour drive of the future park.

http://www.thrillnetwork.com/stories...k_venture.html

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Josiah

Kinda Ironic that they would do that with Chilocco boarding school
My Dad went there from 1st to 10th
He never talked good about that place and now they are trying to turn that into a theme park
Irony

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TwoCats

This is a very volatile and ambitious venture to undertake. For it to work at all it would need to be right along a major interstate with other attractions in the area. Successful theme parks have obtained funding, etc., from major corporate entities like Paramount, Sony, Universal Studios, Marriott Hotels, etc. If they can get that kind of support they just might succeed.
Pilamaye

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"If today I had a young mind to direct, to start on the journey of life, and I was faced with the duty of choosing between the natural way of my forefathers and that of the... present way of civilization, I would, for its welfare, unhesitatingly set that child's feet in the path of my forefathers. I would raise him to be an Indian!"-Luther Standing Bear, Lakota

Wakalapi

There was talk of a Six Flags theme park going in at the Tulalip rez in western Washington for several years. I haven't heard anything about it for awhile, but then again I'm over the mountains in Yakama Valley now. But yes it is quite an investment, but they do have a good location up there right along I-5 and just north of Seattle and its suburb cities. The only other thing close by is Wild Waves down by Tacoma or the PNE up by Vancouver BC.

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