A theme park could transform the Cherokee reservation. Officials say they haven't been looped in
When developers unveiled plans this week to build a massive new theme park in eastern Oklahoma, state and local officials were on hand to celebrate the news.
The proposed site of American Heartland Theme Park and Resort sits in the Cherokee reservation in Craig County, where the tribal nation is one of the region’s largest employers and biggest tourism draws.
But Cherokee government officials weren’t at the announcement event. They say they weren't invited until the day before the event.
Tribal leaders said they met with developers about a year ago, when they were filled in about a vision for a theme park near Vinita. They said they didn’t hear anything else until this week when the proposal was revealed to widespread fanfare.
“We had no involvement in the project then and have no involvement now,” the tribe said in a statement released by its communications office. “We learned more about the project in the media [Wednesday] and will continue to look for updates about the project in the future, presumably also through the media.”
Executives of Branson-based Mansion Entertainment Group, which is behind the idea to transform rural Vinita into a family entertainment hotspot, said they did not mean to leave any public partners out of the event.
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Is the Cherokee Nation involved in new Oklahoma theme park?
Kristy Adams, a spokesperson for the company, said executives met several times with tribal representatives during the planning phases of the project. She said those meetings included a discussion with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who is coincidentally from Vinita. Until recently, his father, former state representative Chuck Hoskin Sr., was the city's mayor. The elder Hoskin has been very supportive of the project and was at its unveiling, she said.
Executives also met in June with the Inter-Tribal Council of the nine tribes based in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, Adams said. The Cherokee Nation is not part of that group. At least some Cherokee representatives were emailed invites to Wednesday's announcement via the company's mailing list, 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 her sentiment.
“We look forward to continuing conversations with them and working together to bring additional job opportunities for Cherokee and other tribal citizens and make a positive lasting impact on northeast Oklahoma,” Wilhite said.
Adams said the company, which is controlled by former Pizza Hut franchise magnate Gene Bicknell, is not currently looking for partners to help finance the park’s $2 billion price tag.
Initial plans call for an RV park by 2025, with a theme park and hotel to follow in 2026. Company officials envision employing more than 4,000 people once their 1,000-acre site is built out.
The plans would mean doubling the county’s employment base, census figures show.
Cherokee officials said they welcome the effort to grow the regional economy. “Cherokee Nation and Chief Hoskin wish the community and the developers well on the project,” the tribe said.
More: A law pressured tribes to give up land in 1898. It doesn't give Tulsa power today, court rules
Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Plans for American Heartland Theme Park haven't included Cherokee Nation
