Cultural Center realization of long-held goal

This article appeared in the July 2022 edition of the Chickasaw Times

Combined effort of tribe, National Park Service and local community

SULPHUR, Okla. - The vision for the Chickasaw Cultural Center was put in motion many decades ago when a group of like-minded people worked toward one mission: Plan a cultural home for Chickasaw people and share the rich culture, language, history, traditions and the arts of the tribe with the world.

As early as 1963, the Daily Ardmoreite in Ardmore, Okla., published a front-page article suggesting it was time for a cultural center for Chickasaw people, Gov. Bill Anoatubby said during the 2010 opening of the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur.

“A place where there would be a village, a place where people can go and learn more about the great Chickasaw people,” Gov. Anoatubby said.

The 184-acre Chickasaw Cultural Center campus is a reflection of those goals. It took a unified effort among the Chickasaw Nation, National Park Service, the local community and a literal act of Congress to make the center a reality.

The Chickasaw Cultural Center has hosted thousands of guests from across the globe since opening in 2010.

Each aspect, from water features to the architecture, was integrated into the Chickasaw Cultural Center because of its cultural significance.

In the late 1970s, establishing a cultural hub was a priority. A 1979 issue of the Chickasaw Times noted a key project for planning department staff was “to work with the newly formed cultural committee in locating funding for a Chickasaw Cultural Center. Key attraction for the proposed center will be a museum reflecting the rich heritage of the Chickasaw people.”

Eventually, a space above the gym on the Chickasaw Nation Headquarters campus in Ada was reserved as a temporary cultural center. The consistent urging from the Chickasaw people for a dedicated place to celebrate and share the Chickasaw story kept the project alive.

Following Gov. Anoatubby’s 1987 election, development of a cultural center remained a top priority as long-term goals of economic development and self-sufficiency, including the preservation of Chickasaw culture, history and language, were established.

“Since the time he came on board with the tribe in 1987, it has always been one of Governor Anoatubby’s goals to build a Chickasaw Nation tourism program, especially in the Sulphur area,” Jeannie Barbour, Chickasaw Nation Director of Creative Development, said. “The Cultural Center was part of the plan from the beginning.
“My role was to attend the community meetings and take note of what people wanted to see in a cultural center,” she said. “We handed out index cards and asked attendees to write down what they thought would be an important part of a cultural center. Everyone was invited whether Chickasaw or not.”

Ms. Barbour recalled the most requested features included a living village, a museum with interactive exhibits, an event venue, a water feature and a place for traditional food preparation.

“Above all, they wanted to show that Chickasaws were a living, breathing people, not just a dusty exhibit behind a glass case,” Ms. Barbour, a Chickasaw citizen, said.
A long-range initiative to build a place combining Chickasaw history and culture with tourism opportunities was launched in 1988.

Traveling to Washington, D.C., Gov. Anoatubby secured Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funding for a feasibility study with the goal of building a cultural center in the Sulphur area.

The original idea was modified a bit during this time when discussion of a theme park was explored.

A Price Waterhouse study to determine the feasibility of a First American/Chickasaw theme park in the Arbuckle Mountains was conducted. Responses from Chickasaw citizens, local community partners, and Chickasaw National Recreation Area (CNRA) and National Park Service (NPS) staff were included in the feasibility study.

But the results indicated the population of Oklahoma’s third smallest county was not robust enough to support and sustain a theme park, Lona Barrick, Chickasaw Nation Cultural Tourism executive officer, said.

Ms. Barrick served as general manager of the Chickasaw Motor Inn in Sulphur, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, where many strategic planning meetings for the cultural center were conducted. The Chickasaw Motor Inn, purchased by the Chickasaw Nation in 1972, was the tribe’s first business.

During the numerous meetings, Chickasaw citizens, tribal legislators, Gov. Anoatubby’s staff, tribal enterprises, economic development and national park officials attended and were able to share their vision of a cultural center.

“But the emphasis was in hearing and learning what was important to Chickasaw citizens,” Ms. Barrick said. “When Chickasaw citizens were asked about the purpose of a cultural center, or what they would like to accomplish, the response was, ‘We want to tell our story,’ and ‘We want a place where all Chickasaws can come and learn about our history and culture,’ as well as ‘We want a place to share our story with everyone, with the world’.”

Progress was made in December 1989 when a collaboration was inked between the Chickasaw Nation and the National Park Service to develop a tribal cultural center in the area.

The project’s focus was refined and narrowed when the Chickasaw Historical Society (CHS) was established by tribal law in 1994, and a Chickasaw Cultural committee was formed under the umbrella of the Chickasaw Foundation. Gov. Anoatubby appointed members to this new committee, who were confirmed by the tribal legislature.

A major development in the project occurred in October 2000, when more than 1,200 Chickasaw citizens responded to a survey, which solicited comments and suggestions regarding a Chickasaw Cultural Center. Art and music, food and medicine, exhibits featuring prominent Chickasaw people and a living village with traditional dwellings were all mentioned by survey respondents.

Chickasaws participated in subsequent planning meetings and shared their ideas about how to implement these ideas into a facility.

A newly formed Chickasaw Foundation Board of Trustees Cultural Center Advisory Committee, comprised of Chickasaw citizens, national park officials and community leaders, met for the first time Dec. 7, 2000, at Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
Advisory committee members included: Donald Day, mayor of Sulphur; Phil Key, president of Sulphur Community Bank; Wesley Hilliard, president of Sulphur Chamber of Commerce; Pat Woods, chairman of the Chickasaw Foundation; Charles McDaniel, Chickasaw Foundation consultant; Lisa Brown, Chickasaw Foundation trustee; Sarah Craighead, acting superintendent, Chickasaw National Recreational Area (CNRA); Jeannie Lunsford, Chickasaw Foundation executive director; Betty Wagoner, CNRA; Kirk Perry, Chickasaw Nation; Cal Meyers, CNRA; Jeannie Barbour, Chickasaw Nation; Jennifer Colbert, Murray County Industrial Authority; Pam Wallace, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History; Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society; Kelly Lunsford, Chickasaw Nation; and Lisa Billy, Chickasaw legislator.

Working together, land near Rock Creek in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area was identified as the preferred building site for the Chickasaw Cultural Center.

In what was referred to as a “land swap,” the National Park Service agreed to donate the tract of land in exchange for a tract of land owned by the City of Sulphur. The city donated the tract to the Chickasaw Nation, which conveyed the land to the National Park Service. Because of the boundaries of the national recreation area would be revised, the land swap had to be approved by the U. S. House of Representatives.

Ground was broken Sept. 30, 2004, just two days after the U.S. House passed the Chickasaw National Recreation Area Land Exchange Act of 2004, authorizing the land exchange among the Chickasaw Nation, the City of Sulphur and the National Park Service.

Today, the Chickasaw Cultural Center is a thriving campus that remains dedicated to the wishes set forth many years ago by Chickasaw citizens, Valorie Walters, Undersecretary of Chickasaw Nation Culture & Humanities, said.

“The Cultural Center is a special and beautiful place that provides opportunities for our citizens and others to embrace and share our unique culture through various avenues,” she said.

Since opening July 24, 2010, more than 883,000 people from around the world have shared in the story of the Chickasaw people by visiting the Chickasaw Cultural Center.

The Chickasaw Cultural Center, 867 Cooper Memorial Drive, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, call (580) 622-7130 or visit ChickasawCulturalCenter.com.