REQUEST FREE BROCHURE
 
|
   |
| Five Tribes Tour |
 |
|
|
Group Tour Planner Motorcoach Information Tours and Packages Request Marketing Aids Sample Itineraries Searchable Tour Planner OK Driving Time Map (pdf) Escort Notes Travel Games |
Five Tribes Tour
3 Days
Day 1
Follow US 75 to Durant and enter the Capital of the Choctaw Nation. Now the 3rd largest Nation in the US. The Choctaw were the first of the five great Southern tribes to sign a removal treaty and move as a nation to Indian Territory (where they became one of Oklahoma's Five Civilized Tribes). In the post-war era, coal was discovered on their land that became a major fuel source for the railroad building through Indian Territory; rich timberland was another resource. The tribe enjoyed a high standard of living, with extensive farms and livestock. Their school system was noted and became a model for other tribes.
Durant is a beautiful city with a large number of magnolia trees lining the streets and on the Southeastern Oklahoma State University campus.
▪ Choctaw Nation Tribal Headquarters complex provides an informative glimpse into the modern life of this American Indian Nation. Walk the Hall of Chiefs leading to the Tribal Council Chambers, where a 12 member council manages the economic affairs of the Tribe.
▪ Three Valley Museum - Living history museum located in the basement of the Choctaw Nation complex, features displays of artifacts of early statehood, the rich heritage of the Choctaw Nation, and Durant and Bryan County. Other areas include an early day law office and doctor's office, a child's room, parlor and general store. Gift shop with various Choctaw books, stickers and t-shirts.
▪ Fairchilds Gallery collection of American Indian Artwork, such as oil paintings, bronzes, beadwork and rugs. Also on display is a 300-year-old doll collection, including 60 Kachina dolls and much more.
▪ Fort Washita Historic Site & Museum - original and reconstructed historic structures of frontier fort operated during 1840's and 1850's by U.S. Army and during Civil War by Confederates, such as Gen. Zachary Taylor, Capt. Robert E. Lee, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, who stopped there en route to the Alamo. Tour the reconstructed 1849 barracks to learn how the soldiers spent their days. A museum and preserved remains of several pre-Civil War military buildings presents a unique picture of military life in the West.
▪ Choctaw Casino is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and offers high stakes bingo, high roller bingo, slot machines and other gaming options. Full service restaurant open during bingo sessions, non-smoking areas, discounted tobacco products available, and free coffee.
Continuing on US 75 to SH 43 to Tuskahoma and the Choctaw Tribal Museum. This site originally served as the tribal headquarters and was built in 1884, today this museum houses vintage clothing, tribal documents, Choctaw pottery and a gift shop. Also, serves as the host to the Choctaw National Annual Holiday every Labor Day Weekend.
Follow Scenic Byway SH2 to Robbers Cave State Park. Robbers Cave was the former hideout of notorious western outlaws like Jesse James and Belle Starr. Today this park is a favorite of rappellers, cave explorers, equestrians, and outdoor lovers. Overnight Belle Starr Lodge.
Day 2
Wind through the Sansbois Mountains to Sallisaw, the burial place of gangster Pretty Boy Floyd. John Steinbeck also used Sallisaw as a starting point in his famed novel The Grapes of Wrath. Visit the 1829 log home of Sequoyah, who developed the 85-character Cherokee syllabary, significantly advancing the culture of his tribe. Noted for its completeness, the syllabary has required no additions or deletions and is believed to be the only syllabary ever created by one man. At the museum today, Cherokee history and the basics of the Cherokee language are taught to visitors.
Head for Tahlequah, one of the most historically significant cities west of the Mississippi River, this community was the end of the Trail of Tears for the eastern Cherokees and has been the capital of the Cherokee Nation since 1841.
In Tahlequah see:
▪ The Cherokee Heritage Center - tucked away on more than 40 wooded acres in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, the Cherokee Heritage Center and Cherokee National Museum house the Trail of Tears exhibit, the Cherokee National Archives, a museum shop, Tsa-La-Gi Ancient Village, and Adams Corner Rural Village. The grounds also feature an outdoor amphitheater where summer performances of "The Trail of Tears" are staged.
▪ Head to downtown Tahlequah and drop into the N-D-N Art Gallery, home gallery to world acclaimed Cherokee visual artists.
▪ Murrell Home, the only remaining Antebellum Plantation home in Oklahoma that held enslaved Africans and Black Freedman. Mr. Murrell, married Cherokee Chief John Ross’s daughter, and built this mansion. During the Civil War, the Cherokee Tribe fought on the side of the Confederates and subsequently lost their land.
▪ Cherokee Supreme Court Building - This structure was built in 1884 by James S. Pierce to house the Cherokee National Supreme Court. The Supreme and District courts both held sessions here for many years. The Cherokee Advocate was printed in this building after the original Advocate building burned.
Journey to Muskogee to Bacone College, the first land-grant college for American Indians. Visit the Ataloa Lodge Museum, built in 1932 on historic Bacone College's campus. The lodge houses more than 20,000 pieces of traditional and contemporary Native American art, items of daily and ceremonial use, as well as Civil War memorabilia. A gift shop offers prints, t-shirts and jewelry. Discover British relationship to Creek Nation before and after the Revolutionary War. Next visit the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. Housed in the 1875 Union Indian Agency the site now preserves the heritage & cultures of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw & Seminole tribes. The museum hosts several competitive art exhibitions, lecture series, hands-on workshops, and other activities to educate the public about the “five civilized” tribes.
From Muskogee travel to Tulsa. The Gilcrease Museum contains the world's most comprehensive collections of American Indian and Western art. This nationally-celebrated museum includes extensive exhibits on America's prehistory, settlement and expansion.
Visit the Council Oak Tree, which marks the traditional "ceremonial ground" chosen in 1836 by a clan of the Creek Indians. In 1834, they had begun their involuntary migration from Alabama under the control of the U.S. government, along which 161 died in route. Upon their arrival to this site overlooking the Arkansas River in 1836, they marked the site with a solemn ceremony depositing ashes brought over the trail from their last fires in Alabama. Today, commemorative tribal ceremonies are held each year. The park features an ethno-botanical garden displaying plants that were used by the Creek Indians for food, fiber, ceremonial and medicinal purposes.
Nearby the Philbrook Museum offers American Indian art including examples of ancient basket weaving, pottery, paintings and ethnographic materials.
Overnight in Tulsa.
Day 3
Drive south on US 75 to Okmulgee, the National Headquarters of the Creek Nation who are noted for conservatism and dramatic color in tribal ceremonials. British traders called them "Ochese Creek Indians", after the Ocmulgee River tributary in Georgia, where many of the tribal towns existed when trade began. The Muscogee (their recognized name) are not a tribe, but a confederacy of 100 or more tribes (called tribal towns) united in a single government. The Creek Tribal Complex houses the Archival Library of Creeks and Seminoles dating back to 1832, the time of the forced removal. The Dawes Roles microfiche with the original land allotments assigned in 1905 are accessible.
The heart of Okmulgee is the town square featuring the Creek Council House Museum. Erected in 1878, the museum building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is acknowledged as a National Historic Landmark. The Creek Indian Memorial Association established the Museum in 1923 as an education center for those wanting to learn about Native American History. The Council House was constructed to serve as the Capitol of Muscogee (Creek) Nation. All tribal affairs were conducted in this building. The facility contained separate chambers for the Executive and Judicial branches of the government, with the Legislative branch divided into the House of Kings and House of Warriors. The museum's permanent collection of archives chronicle the sociocultural history of the Muscogee (Creek) people before and after their forced removal from their tribal homes in Georgia and Alabama. The Red Stick Gallery offers a variety of elegant Native American gifts, such as jewelry, bead work, pottery, and baskets.
Depart the Creek Nation to Wewoka and the Seminole Nation. The Seminole Nation Museum documents the history and culture of the Seminole Indian Nation, the Freedmen and the early Oklahoma Pioneers since 1849. The Seminole Wing depicts the life and culture of the Seminoles and tells the story of the Freedmen, the African American men and women who became citizens of the Seminole Nation after the Civil War. An art gallery, research library and a gift shop are also on site. Depart Wewoka south on 56 to Chickasaw Turnpike to
Travel to Ada, the National Headquarters of the Chickasaw Nation. Tour the Chickasaw Nation Cultural Center, which preserves artifacts, pictures and items used by Chickasaws. Although the emphasis is on the Chickasaw people, there are artifacts from other tribes as well. Oral history videos, consisting of interviews with elders of the tribe are available for public viewing. Special programs and exhibits are presented throughout the year.
In Sulphur, visit the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Once described by American Indians as a "Peaceful Valley of Rippling Waters," today the Chickasaw National Recreation Area is one of the most heavily visited parks for its size in the National Park System, with 3.4 million visitors a year. Once part of the Chickasaw Tribal Nation lands, the park is an “ecotone,” or meeting place, where two different ecosystems overlap - the eastern deciduous forest and the mixed-grass prairie. Hikers, birdwatchers, and wildflower enthusiasts enjoy the variety this diverse ecosystem has to offer. Visit the Travertine Nature Center containing exhibits featuring the various wildlife found in the area, live reptiles, amphibians and birds of prey, and an interactive learning area for visitors of all ages. A one-hundred seat auditorium at the Nature Center provides opportunities for ranger-led nature programs and video presentations on a variety of topics. Overnight at Lake Murray State Park Resort.
(4-02-04)
