{"id":19373,"date":"2014-04-10T09:37:38","date_gmt":"2014-04-10T14:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=19373"},"modified":"2014-07-07T14:33:26","modified_gmt":"2014-07-07T19:33:26","slug":"former-state-parks-thrive-under-tribes-control-but-not-without-some-struggle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2014\/04\/10\/former-state-parks-thrive-under-tribes-control-but-not-without-some-struggle\/","title":{"rendered":"Cast-off State Parks Thrive Under Tribal Control, But Not Without Some Struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rick<\/p>\n

Logan Layden \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Rick Geisler, manager of Wah-Sha-She Park in Osage County, stands on the shore of Hula Lake.<\/p>\n<\/div>

When budget cuts led the Oklahoma tourism department to find new homes<\/a> for seven state parks in 2011, two of them went to Native American tribes. Both are open and doing well, but each has faced its own difficulties in the transition.<\/p>

<\/p>

Of the seven former state parks, only Wah-Sha-She Park<\/a> near Pawhuska closed during its transfer to new management.<\/p>

From fall 2011 until spring 2012, no one could enjoy the unique Hula Lake sunsets from the park\u2019s rocky shoreline, or camp at the handful of sites in this remote patch of well-maintained land carved into the wilderness in northern Osage County.<\/p>

\u201cWe had some difficulty, internally \u2014 our own branches of government,\u201d Raymond Lasley, Executive Advisor of Programs for the Osage Nation, says. \u201cMembers of congress were saying, \u2018Why would we want to take on a park that loses money annually?\u2019\u201d<\/p>

Lasley says former Chief John Red Eagle wanted to take the park over in 2011, but it was a tough time economically and the Osage Nation Congress was concerned about the cost of bailing out the State of Oklahoma.<\/p>

The delay wasn’t just an inconvenience for park-goers, it was the final death knell for one of the only stores anywhere near the park.<\/p>\n

\"Jimmy<\/p>\n

Logan Layden \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Jimmy Edens had to close this bait shop\/gas station shortly after Wah-Sha-She closed in 2011.<\/p>\n<\/div>

“We ended up just having to close that store up there,” says Jimmy Edens, who now runs Jimmy’s Place, a restaurant in the tiny community of Whippoorwill, Okla. “We sold bait and all that stuff. They closed the park and it just kind of went downhill.”<\/p>

The Osage Nation Congress eventually decided to fund the park. Its manager, Rick Geisler, remembers the day Wah-Sha-She reopened.<\/p>

\u201cI happened to drive by the gates up there that we had locked, and there were people already lined up waiting for it to open up,\u201d Geisler says. \u201cWe opened it up about noon. It seemed like it was part of the Oklahoma land run. Everybody was just rushing to get to a spot.\u201d<\/p>

The transition from state control to tribal control was rocky at Wah-Sha-She, but the park has rebounded since.<\/p>

\u201cWe had a two-day concert. Each year we have a noodling contest,\u201d Geisler says. \u201cWe try to have things for the kids year-round, little fishing derbies up here. Or, you know, a flea market vender.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back to Boggy Depot<\/h4>

The other park taken over by a tribal government is 200 miles south, in the heart of the Chickasaw Nation. Boggy Depot Park\u00a0is both a Civil War battle site and home to the grave of revered Choctaw Chief Allen Wright. The Choctaw Nation Manages the cemetery.<\/p>\n

\"Choctaw<\/p>\n

Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Choctaw Chief Allen Wright and his family are buried in the historic cemetery near Boggy Depot, which is now managed by the Choctaw Nation.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Chief Wright\u2019s family has been pleased with the condition of the park since the Chickasaw Nation got control. The tribe says there have been a number of improvements and additions, and attendance is up.<\/p>

But when StateImpact visited Chickasaw Governor Bill Anoatubby in August 2011, he had grander visions for the park.<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re going to make it more of an attraction,” he said. “Our hope is to maybe do some restorations or recreations of some of the historic buildings.”<\/p>

While the Chickasaw Nation now manages Boggy Depot, it still doesn\u2019t own the land. The tribe hoped the ownership of the land would be transferred along with the park’s management responsibilities. Officials at the tribe and the state Tourism and Recreation Department expected the Oklahoma Legislature to quickly approve the land transfer, but it didn’t.<\/p>

The debate on the state House floor<\/a> in 2013 centered around whether it is right \u2014 or legal \u2014 to give the tribe the land for free.<\/p>\n

\n

Related<\/h4>\n
\n
Posts<\/h5>\n