The site of the Indian City lodge has a pristine and manicured entrance. A smooth parking lot, a clean brick building, shiny new windows. It is the only place that has truly authentic replicas of seven different Native American tribes’ villages down to the last detail. Tours are given of these downscaled Indian villages so that visitors can experience the different cultures. Adjacent to the gift shop is a small museum that displays various artifacts from the Kiowa tribe. Periodically throughout the day, Native American dancers dressed in traditional garb perform a show of traditional dances for visitors in the small pavilion behind the museum. It is a wonderful place to learn about several Native American cultures and their history. A couple of weeks ago, on February 13th, I went along with a group of OU faculty and students to visit the site to observe the building’s condition and discuss the Kiowa tribe desired improvements and developments. Unfortunately, the building now lies broken and abandoned. A Brief History of the SiteThe site surrounding the Indian City Lodge has a rather solemn history. It was on these grounds that the Tonkawa massacre of 1862 occurred. A variety of different Native American tribes lived in the area at the time, among them the Kiowa, Tonkawa, Comanche, and several others. The Tonkawa were not liked by the other tribes due to their cannibalistic nature. The story goes that two Kiowa boys were captured by the Tonkawa and one was killed and eaten by the Tonkawa. The other boy escaped and ran into a group of Comanches who then went to the Kiowa village. The Comanches informed the Kiowa of the boy’s story and together they proceeded to the Tonkawa village. Upon seeing the deceased Kiowa boy with their own eyes they became enraged. It was that night, October 23rd, 1862, that they killed every single person in the Tonkawa village. Then and NowSince the 2000s, it has since been abandoned and slowly reclaimed by nature. The roof has some discoloration, the mural painted on the brick is chipping and yes, that is plywood over one of the windows. Grass has sprouted through the asphalt, overwhelming the parking lot and masking the building facade as it has gotten out of control. It is apparent that teenagers have come and left behind garbage and rampant vandalism. The glass at the front is shattered, leaving shards in the door frame. Items in the gift shop have been stolen or strewn recklessly all over the ground. However, some portions of the shop are still relatively intact. Shelves of kitschy knick knacks remain just as they were 10 years ago with only a layer of dust to show how time has passed. The museum portion is shrouded in complete darkness, with rotting floorboards and empty glass cases where Native American history once resided. It is absolutely surreal walking through this building and being able to understand exactly how it functioned before, but seeing it utterly trashed. As we walked through the museum we noticed water damage where leaks have allowed the rain to permeate. We observed excessive termite damage, which had been ignored in the past and simply covered up with more materials instead of tackling the root of the problem. In addition to doing a walkthrough of the building and its exterior, we drove up a winding gravel path, which was best traversed with four wheel drive, to view the replica housing structures. These were in fairly good condition. The tribes represented here were the Navajo, Chiricahua Apache, Wichita, Kiowa Winter Camp, Caddo, Pawnee, and Pueblo. I found it very interesting being able to see how so many Native Americans lived in these very natural and sustainable dwellings made completely from the materials that nature had to offer. Where to Go From HereAlthough the site is currently very rugged and the building is falling apart, there is hope. After the current building is demolished, there is a possibility of a Revitalization Grant to fund reclaiming the site and installing new developments to reignite tourism. Some of the difficulty with this project stems from how to deal with preserving the historic elements here. One surveyor mentioned an idea of potentially salvaging portions of the building to incorporate into the new developments. Perhaps the wall containing the mural can be used to enclose a space at the restaurant or be used in the museum walls. The interior has beautiful exposed wooden beams supporting the roof. These, after being inspected for any damage, can be used in nonstructural ways as overhead accents, trim, or headers to add a feeling of originality to the building. Bricks from the building may be applied to non-structural walls or details, adding both to a lower project cost and the aesthetic. Steve Quoetone, Director of Transit for the Kiowa tribe, brought up the possibility of constructing, in addition to the museum and gift shop, a restaurant that overlooks the wonderful view, and also a casino. Another issue then presents itself--how do we bring tourists into this site located a few miles off the main road? It is off the beaten path and would not be an attraction that tourists just happen to discover on their way to another destination. Previously, Indian City also had some advertising that would draw in tourists. Now, besides word of mouth and a well-made website, it might be difficult for people to know it even exists. While it would certainly be useful to distribute flyers and small ads within the town of Anadarko, perhaps it could be declared a landmark and have a sign off of highway 62 to draw the attention of people passing through the town. It is only a few miles away and would not be a long detour. Hopefully, the Indian City Lodge and its replica villages will soon be restored to their former magnificence.
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Amy HostetterCurrent student. Archives
January 2019
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