Casino

The Cherokee Nation Casinos in Oklahoma

With seven locations, the Cherokee Nation is one of the state’s largest Native American conglomerates of gambling establishments.

Ready to take a chance?

Cherokee Resort Casino/Tulsa

Blackjack, poker and mini Baccarat can be found at over 70 tables here at this 24/7 facility. Unsure of the rules? Then visit one of the electronic kiosks on the casino floor before laying down your chips. Poker tournaments occur on a daily/weekly and monthly schedule from October through December. The one with the highest points gets to play in the World Poker Open in January.

Wheel of Fortune Super Spin, Fort Knox, Cleopatra and Triple Double Stars are just some of the games found on over 1500 electronic gaming machines.

Eateries include the Wild Potato Buffett, McGill’s, Ante-Pasta and the Cabin Creek Smokehouse for BBQ and some late night Country Western dancing.

A 150-room hotel makes it a prime vacation spot, and golfers will enjoy the links at the nearby Cherokee Hills Golf Club.

Cherokee Resort Casino/Roland

Off Interstate 40, this casino, with a hotel, might be smaller in scale – but the excitement is still 24/7! True video poker machines have recently been added to the over 500 electronic games.

Cheokee Resort Casino/West Siloam Springs

With close to 1,000 electronic gaming machines choosing which one to play is the hardest choice. Coming in on a weekday? Be sure to register for a Player’s Card, and then partake at the many free plays occurring on a regular basis.

Twisters is the place for a drink, a snack and catching the hottest local musical talent.

Cherokee Resort Casino/Fort Gibson

Any hour of the day or night this small casino at Fort Gibson can provide a little magic to the gambler in you. Three hundred gaming machines and weekly promotions for women, men and seniors assure someone will walk away a winner.

Cherokee Resort Casino/Sallisaw

It is the Vegas of the Plains with over 200 Vegas style electronic machines and nine blackjack and poker tables. And should your run of luck need a refill – stop by the Back 40 Bar and Grill where the menu includes pulled pork and rotisserie chicken.

Cherokee Resort Casino/Talequah

Capital of the Cherokee Nation, this casino has recently had a 7.5 million dollar facelift, and does not disappoint with its Cherokee inspired decorations, and new larger dimensions.

Now 405 electronic games are joined with 3 poker tables, 4 blackjack tables, 1 Ultimate Texas Hold’Em table and a three-card poker table. From breakfast to late night dining the River City Café offers everything from Indian fry bread to biscuits and gravy.

Tee times are available at the Cherokee Trails Golf Course

Cherokee Resort Casino/Will Rogers Downs

Live horse racing occurs here February through May, and simulcast racing can be seen everyday from 100 screens. If that is not enough action add in 250 electronic games and video poker machines or a visit to the Dog Iron Saloon.

RV’ers are welcome here.

Whatever your game of chance – the Cherokee Nation Casinos can provide the thrills!

Will Rogers Memorial Museum

Some people called him a new Mark Twain. Some call him a Vegas hero. Others just loved his movies. Writer, movie star, comedian, cowboy, radio personality, speaker, social philosopher and political satirist, Will Rogers was the most popular man in the country in the early 20th Century. From trick roper to Presidential candidate, Rogers charmed America until his untimely death in 1935.

The Life of Will Rogers

Growing up in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in the 1880’s, Rogers learned how to break horses and use a lariat or lasso as both a practical tool and as a means of entertainment. Part Cherokee, Rogers would say, “My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.”

Will Rogers began in show business in the circus, which led to vaudeville and the Ziegfeld Follies, and eventually landed a movie contract. He married Betty Blake of Rogers, Arkansas in 1908 and the couple had four children. All the while, he wrote books and newspaper columns and delivered homespun social philosophy and political barbs on the radio.

In post World War I and Great Depression America, Will Rogers was an extremely popular speaker. He was even nominated for president at the 1932 Democratic Convention before losing to Franklin Roosevelt on the fourth ballot. When he died in an airplane crash in Alaska in 1935, along with aviator Wiley Post, the nation mourned.

Will Rogers Memorial Museum

Will Rogers Memorial Museum was built in 1938 to preserve and showcase wisdom, life and humor of Will Rogers. The 16,652 limestone structure overlooks the Tiawah Valley and is located on 20-acres of land that Rogers bought in 1911 for his retirement home. It is twelve miles from Dog Iron Ranch (Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch) in Oologah, Oklahoma and 28 miles east of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Renovated and expanded several times over the years, the museum today houses memorabilia, photographs, Rogers’s lariats, costumes, saddles for his horse Soapsuds, movie posters, personal belongings and original manuscripts of his writings.

Will Rogers made 71 movies during his career, both silent and “Talkies.” The movies run continuously from 8 AM to 5 PM in the museum’s mini-theater and there is also a lecture hall/movie theater that seats about 150 people. Such films as Laughing Bill Hyde, his first made in 1918, Judge Priest made in 1934, and The Ropin’ Fool in 1922 which showed Rogers skills with a rope, can be seen in their entirety.

Outside on the grounds overlooking the valley are the graves of Rogers and his wife Betty. A statue by Electra Waggoner Biggs of Rogers riding Soapsuds titled “Riding into the Sunset” stands guard.

The museum also houses a gift shop, a full research library with over 2000 volumes and thousands of original manuscripts and a children’s interactive museum with a 19th Century schoolroom, puppet theater, radio station and costume room.

Other galleries include original paintings and sculptures from such artists as Charles Banks Wilson, Wayne Cooper and Charles Russell. The statue of Rogers in the rotunda is a casting of the original by Jo Davidson that resides in the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The statue faces the entrance to the House of Representatives so that Rogers can “keep and eye on Congress.”

Christopher Stern

Christopher Stern is a Washington-based reporter. Chris spent many years covering tech policy as a business reporter for renowned publications. He has extensive experience covering Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commissions. He is a graduate of Middlebury College. Email:[email protected]

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