When developers announced plans for a massive new theme park in eastern Oklahoma this week, state and local officials were on hand to celebrate the news.
The proposed site of America’s Heartland Theme Park and Resort sits on the Cherokee site in Craig County, a tribal nation that is one of the region’s largest employers and biggest tourism attractions.
But Cherokee government officials were not present at the announcement. They say they were not invited until the day before the event.
Tribal leaders said they met with developers about a year ago when they were filling out a vision for a theme park near Vinita. They said they had heard nothing else until this week, when the proposal became widely public.
“We had no involvement then and we have no involvement now,” the tribe said in a statement through its communications office. “We learned more about the project in the media [Wednesday] And he will continue to seek new information about the project in the future, perhaps even through the media.
Executives at Branson-based Mansion Entertainment Group, the company behind the idea to turn rural Vinita into a family entertainment destination, said it doesn’t mean leaving any public partners out of the event.
More:Here’s why America’s Heartland theme park can become the ‘anchor tourist destination’ of the Midwest
Will the Cherokee Nation be involved in Oklahoma’s new theme park?
Company spokeswoman Christy Adams said executives met with tribal representatives several times during the project’s planning. She said those meetings included a conversation with Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who happens to be from Vinita. Until recently, his father, former state Rep. Chuck Hoskin Sr., was the city’s mayor. The elder Hoskin was very supportive of the project and was at the opening, she said.
Executives met in June with the Inter-Tribal Council of the nine tribes in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, Adams said. The Cherokee Nation is not part of that group. At least some Cherokee representatives were sent email invitations through the company’s mailing list for Wednesday’s announcement, Adams said.
Adams said developers hope to continue talking with Cherokee Nation officials to find ways to collaborate, such as on workforce development. Larry Wilhite, president of the American Heartland Project, echoed his sentiments.
“We look forward to continuing discussions with them and working together to bring more job opportunities to Cherokee and other tribal citizens and to make a positive impact on Northeast Oklahoma,” Wilhite said.
Adams said the company, controlled by former Pizza Hut franchise magnate Gene Bicknell, is not currently looking for partners to finance the park’s $2 billion price tag.
Initial plans call for an RV park in 2025, followed by a theme park and hotel in 2026. Company officials want to hire more than 4,000 people once the 1,000-acre site is built.
The plans mean doubling the county’s employment base, census data show.
Cherokee officials said they welcome efforts to boost the region’s economy. “The Cherokee Nation and Chief Hoskin wish the community and developers the best of luck with the project,” the tribe said.
More:An 1898 law forcing tribes to give up land doesn’t apply to Tulsa today, a court has ruled.
Molly Young covers Indigenous issues. Contact her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.
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