Native Oklahoma Magazine

  Downstream Casino Resort, south of Joplin, Missouri Quapaw Nation and BOK Financial reach an agreement to refinance $300 million in debt Refinancing deal will be transformational to the tribe's future, saving $55,000 per day in interest QUAPAW, Oklahoma – In Ottawa County, Oklahoma, the Quapaw Nation Reservation serves as the gateway to Indian Territory, home to 39 tribal nations. For travelers crossing into Oklahoma from Missouri, the first thing they see is the tribe's flagship casino and resort rising from the foothills of the Ozarks, like a small city bustling with activity. The high-rise hotel's architecture represents the tribe's vibrant culture and connection to the waters of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. But just as the Quapaws journeyed downstream hundreds of years ago to the fertile lands of present-day Arkansas, travelers today end their journey at the present-day Quapaw Reservation for different reasons. At Downstream Casino Resort, visitors seek relaxa...

  This rendering shows a design for a new facility to replace the Cherokee Nation’s existing W.W. Hastings Hospital facility in Tahlequah, Okla. (Courtesy image)  Cherokee Nation invests $430M in new health care facilities BY  Chez O xendine ,  Staff Writer for Tribal Business News JANUARY 10, 2022 A “historic” $430 million investment will bolster the Cherokee Nation health care system that’s experienced unprecedented usage throughout the pandemic. In mid-December, Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. signed legislation approving $400 million for a new hospital in Tahlequah, Okla. and a $30 million outpatient center in Salina, Okla. The legislation also included up to $5 million in donations to Northeastern State University’s new optometry college.  The projects will be funded through $250 million from the tribe’s $1.8 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, as well as revenue generated from the health care system itself, Hoskin said.  “COVID did two things...