By: James L. Rosica
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TALLAHASSEE — The Seminole Tribe of Florida, operators of Tampa's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, may have competition for high-stakes gambling.
Hotels close to a casino in Florida Panhandle offer the convenience of easy access to your favorite games of chance, so you'll feel like you've hit the jackpot. Check out a great variety of Florida Panhandle hotels by a casino and discover the one that will make your dreams come true. Wind Creek Hospitality, an entertainment and gaming company owned by the Alabama-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians, is acquiring the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem property for $1.3 billion.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which has land in the Pensacola area, sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott asking to enter into an agreement with the state to offer Las Vegas-style play in northwest Florida.
Scott has agreed to meet, spokesman John Tupps said Tuesday, but he didn't say whether the governor would enter into talks on a gambling agreement.
The letter, dated March 24 and signed by tribal chairman Buford Rolin, seeks permission to offer gambling 'including, but not limited to, banked card games,' which include baccarat and blackjack.
The Poarch, the only federally recognized Indian tribe in Alabama, operate three slots casinos there in Atmore, just over the Alabama-Florida line, as well as Wetumpka and Montgomery, according to their website. They also are majority owner of the Pensacola Greyhound Track.
The one-page letter comes as the Seminole Tribe of Florida is negotiating with Scott's representatives to renew a revenue-sharing deal with the state in exchange for exclusive rights to offer blackjack and other card games. The card-game provision expires in mid-2015.
The Seminoles have the only 'gaming compact' in Florida, which is allowed under federal Indian gambling law. In addition to Tampa, they operate gambling centers across the state, including Coconut Creek, Immokalee and the Hard Rock in Hollywood.
Gary Bitner, a spokesman for the tribe, had no comment on the Poarch proposal.
A spokesman for the state's Miccosukee Tribe, which also is eligible to seek a compact, declined comment Tuesday on whether they're feeling any pressure in light of the Poarch request. The Miccosukee Tribe offers bingo, slots and poker at its Miami resort, but not blackjack.
Rolin's letter to Scott says Jay Dorris, president of the PCI Gaming Authority, will be the tribe's lead negotiator.
'We would like to meet with your designated negotiations team as soon as possible,' Rolin wrote. 'Please contact us about arranging a suitable time and place. It is our hope that a compact can be negotiated quickly.'
In an email, Dorris declined to answer specific questions but added, 'The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (is) a federally recognized tribe with land in trust in Florida and as such we look forward to discussing our options with the state.'
Tupps released a brief statement, saying only the office 'has received the Poarch Band of Creek Indians' request, and a meeting will be scheduled.'
It's unclear what competition the Poarch might be to the Seminoles. Renewing their compact is a priority; the Seminoles contributed $500,000 to Scott's re-election.
Both sides profit immensely. The Seminoles don't discuss how much money they're making, but the compact has guaranteed a cut for the state's treasury of $1 billion over five years from the tribe's gambling revenue.
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'The Seminole Tribe worked for two decades to secure a gaming compact with the state of Florida that provided a more stable future for the Tribe and its members and allowed for significant sharing of gaming revenue with the state,' Bitner said in October.
'The tribe wants to maintain that steady, stable course through 2015 and beyond.'
Indian gambling is governed by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a 1988 law. It defines three classes of play:
♦ Class I is 'social games solely for prizes of minimal value.'
♦ Class II is made up of bingo and some card games, like certain types of poker.
♦ Class III, the most lucrative, includes 'banked' card games, such as baccarat and blackjack with house dealers, as well as slot machines and just about everything else.
Tribes can enter into deals with the state for exclusive rights to offer games in return for payments.
Such compacts must be ratified by the Legislature and approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees Indian gambling.
The Seminole Compact has been an economic boon for the tribe and for areas where they have operations, creating jobs and stoking tourism.
The Hard Rock in Tampa has expanded several times in the last few years, including a new high-limit players' section and one targeted to Asian gamblers, making it the fourth-largest casino in the United States.
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The Poarch Creek Indians' website explains they are descended from the original Creek Nation, 'which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia.'
'Unlike many eastern Indian tribes, the Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around Poarch, Ala.,' it says.
Atmore, Ala., where the tribe is based, abuts Escambia County — the western edge of Florida's Panhandle. Pensacola is the county seat. The land where the Poarch want to build a casino is in the unincorporated Nokomis community in northwest Escambia.
The tribe does not have any gambling compacts with Alabama, according to the website of the National Indian Gaming Commission, a federal regulatory authority.
The Poarch Band's move could finally spur the Miccosukee into action on a compact as well.
'We're looking at it internally, putting quite a bit of time into it,' said one tribal member, who is not being named because the person is not authorized to speak publicly. 'Our decisions usually depend on culture, not politics or dollars and cents, though when it comes to gaming, it's a little bit of everything.'
History
Tribal Language Groups.
The map and tribal names shown below are located at website http://www.native-languages.org/florida.htm
You will also find information regarding the formation of the Seminoles. This site states that, 'Seminoles were not originally a single tribe but an alliance of Northern Florida and South Georgia natives who banded together in the 1700s.'
Not all researchers agree on the history and tribal grounds of early Native Americans in Florida so read information on this issue from several sources to gain a deeper understanding of the issues.Tribal groups particular to our local area include: Euchee, Chickasaw, Muskogee Creek, probably Choctaw, and the Alabamo, Coosada (Koasati), Chatas and Sawoki.
Native Americans in Northwest Florida.
When tracing Indian ancestors in OkaloosaCounty, search the counties between Mobile, AL. and the Apalachicola River, FL. During the later part of the 19th century Creeks from south Alabama and South Georgia migrated into West Florida, adding to the small Indian population already present here.Some of those who were ‘removed,' upon returning to their home area tried to stay as close as possible to their ancestral tribal grounds. Florida Indians tended to live together in small family groups, usually in remote areas to avoid undue attention or trouble. This way they could also move quickly to another area if necessary. Creek country was from Pensacola, FL to the Apalachicola River; Seminoles were generally from Apalachicola to the East and South, the Uchees favored Uchee Valley and down to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. The Creek/Seminole people, more connected to the Georgia Creeks, centered near Perry, FL. They were not particularly close to the other tribal groups in the Panhandle. WaltonCounty was a center of gravity in the Creek wars of 1836-37. Understanding what happened in the Florida panhandle in those years is most significant.
The challenges of tracing Native American ancestry can be legion and complex so pace yourself and take the long view. Remember that the native peoples, as a rule, did not maintain a written tradition. Most documentation was done by the white settlers via families named in land treaties or on trading post ledgers or census records. Also, many tribal associations have been deeply affected by whether they were ‘removed' or ‘unremoved' from their native lands. More recently, the search is further convoluted by attempts to obtain tribal 'membership.'
In the very early years (late 1700s - mid 1800s), the Creek peoples of the Southeast occupied territory as follows:
Upper Creeks - Occupied most of Alabama from south of the Tennessee River to Pensacola, FL.
Lower Creeks - Occupied most of Georgia and North Florida.
Seminole -' Breakaway' Creeks, Apalachees & Afro- American slaves who relocated to South Florida.
Here are a few profiles of key people who have played a role in the history of Native Americans in our general area:
- Andrew Ramsey, Chief of the Miccosukee Band of Apalachicola Creeks. Andrew Ramsey was born in 1923 and is an Apalachicola River Creek Native American living in Blountstown Florida. His family ancestors settled Calhoun County in 1815. Andrew's Indian name is Vntolv Harjo and under this name he was Chief of the Miccosukee band of the Apalachicola Creeks. The Creeks used to share a cultural history with the Seminoles, but following the Treaty of Moultrie Creek in 1823 they became a separate people. The government closed their Indian reservation on the west side of the Apalachicola River in the late 1830s.
- Calvin McGhee, Chief of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Despite the forced removal of Creek Indians from Georgia and Alabama in 1836, some Creeks in the Tensaw district of Alabama maintained a distinct community around the small town of Poarch. The federal government held a tract of land at Poarch in trust for the Indians until 1924. In the 1940s the community began to organize politically in its own interest, and from 1950 to 1970 tribal leader Calvin McGhee spearheaded a campaign for recognition of Creek land claims in the southeastern states. The Poarch Band raised funds largely through an annual Thanksgiving Day Pow Wow. The Poarch Band descends from Muscogee Creek Indians who sided with the United States in the Creek War of 1813-1814.
-- Calvin McGhee Cultural Center. 5811 Jack Springs Rd.Atmore, Alabama36502
- Muscogee Nation of Florida (formerly The Florida Tribe of Eastern Creek Indians) PO Box 3028. Bruce, FL 32455, is recognized by the House and Senate of the State of Florida. They reside in small townships across north Florida interior; families represent the clans of the Wind, Bird, Deer, Bobcat, Bear and Big House. (Google them and look for the town name, Bruce, FL.)
- Santa Rosa County Creek Indian Tribe, Inc. 4344 US Hwy 90 Suite A. Pace, FL. located between Pensacola and Milton in northwest Florida along Hwy 90 and Interstate 10, their mission is to raise community awareness to the Native American cultures, traditional and current issues. Surnames include: Nichols.
- Nathan Chessher, Elder, Muscogee Nation of Florida, is our local authority on historical aspects of Native Americans in our Okaloosa County area. The short list below is gleaned from his article, 'The Creek Nation in Okaloosa County, Florida' See the 'Native American Research & Resources' section at this website to locate this article and his article entitled, 'Indian Traders Migration to Our Area'. See more of his work in the Culture & Heritage section of this web page and in the exhibits at the Baker Block Museum.
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'We would like to meet with your designated negotiations team as soon as possible,' Rolin wrote. 'Please contact us about arranging a suitable time and place. It is our hope that a compact can be negotiated quickly.'
In an email, Dorris declined to answer specific questions but added, 'The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (is) a federally recognized tribe with land in trust in Florida and as such we look forward to discussing our options with the state.'
Tupps released a brief statement, saying only the office 'has received the Poarch Band of Creek Indians' request, and a meeting will be scheduled.'
It's unclear what competition the Poarch might be to the Seminoles. Renewing their compact is a priority; the Seminoles contributed $500,000 to Scott's re-election.
Both sides profit immensely. The Seminoles don't discuss how much money they're making, but the compact has guaranteed a cut for the state's treasury of $1 billion over five years from the tribe's gambling revenue.
Indian Casino Florida Panhandle Vacation Rentals
'The Seminole Tribe worked for two decades to secure a gaming compact with the state of Florida that provided a more stable future for the Tribe and its members and allowed for significant sharing of gaming revenue with the state,' Bitner said in October.
'The tribe wants to maintain that steady, stable course through 2015 and beyond.'
Indian gambling is governed by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a 1988 law. It defines three classes of play:
♦ Class I is 'social games solely for prizes of minimal value.'
♦ Class II is made up of bingo and some card games, like certain types of poker.
♦ Class III, the most lucrative, includes 'banked' card games, such as baccarat and blackjack with house dealers, as well as slot machines and just about everything else.
Tribes can enter into deals with the state for exclusive rights to offer games in return for payments.
Such compacts must be ratified by the Legislature and approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees Indian gambling.
The Seminole Compact has been an economic boon for the tribe and for areas where they have operations, creating jobs and stoking tourism.
The Hard Rock in Tampa has expanded several times in the last few years, including a new high-limit players' section and one targeted to Asian gamblers, making it the fourth-largest casino in the United States.
Indian Casino Florida Panhandle Resort
The Poarch Creek Indians' website explains they are descended from the original Creek Nation, 'which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia.'
'Unlike many eastern Indian tribes, the Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around Poarch, Ala.,' it says.
Atmore, Ala., where the tribe is based, abuts Escambia County — the western edge of Florida's Panhandle. Pensacola is the county seat. The land where the Poarch want to build a casino is in the unincorporated Nokomis community in northwest Escambia.
The tribe does not have any gambling compacts with Alabama, according to the website of the National Indian Gaming Commission, a federal regulatory authority.
The Poarch Band's move could finally spur the Miccosukee into action on a compact as well.
'We're looking at it internally, putting quite a bit of time into it,' said one tribal member, who is not being named because the person is not authorized to speak publicly. 'Our decisions usually depend on culture, not politics or dollars and cents, though when it comes to gaming, it's a little bit of everything.'
History
Tribal Language Groups.
The map and tribal names shown below are located at website http://www.native-languages.org/florida.htm
You will also find information regarding the formation of the Seminoles. This site states that, 'Seminoles were not originally a single tribe but an alliance of Northern Florida and South Georgia natives who banded together in the 1700s.'
Not all researchers agree on the history and tribal grounds of early Native Americans in Florida so read information on this issue from several sources to gain a deeper understanding of the issues.Tribal groups particular to our local area include: Euchee, Chickasaw, Muskogee Creek, probably Choctaw, and the Alabamo, Coosada (Koasati), Chatas and Sawoki.
Native Americans in Northwest Florida.
When tracing Indian ancestors in OkaloosaCounty, search the counties between Mobile, AL. and the Apalachicola River, FL. During the later part of the 19th century Creeks from south Alabama and South Georgia migrated into West Florida, adding to the small Indian population already present here.Some of those who were ‘removed,' upon returning to their home area tried to stay as close as possible to their ancestral tribal grounds. Florida Indians tended to live together in small family groups, usually in remote areas to avoid undue attention or trouble. This way they could also move quickly to another area if necessary. Creek country was from Pensacola, FL to the Apalachicola River; Seminoles were generally from Apalachicola to the East and South, the Uchees favored Uchee Valley and down to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. The Creek/Seminole people, more connected to the Georgia Creeks, centered near Perry, FL. They were not particularly close to the other tribal groups in the Panhandle. WaltonCounty was a center of gravity in the Creek wars of 1836-37. Understanding what happened in the Florida panhandle in those years is most significant.
The challenges of tracing Native American ancestry can be legion and complex so pace yourself and take the long view. Remember that the native peoples, as a rule, did not maintain a written tradition. Most documentation was done by the white settlers via families named in land treaties or on trading post ledgers or census records. Also, many tribal associations have been deeply affected by whether they were ‘removed' or ‘unremoved' from their native lands. More recently, the search is further convoluted by attempts to obtain tribal 'membership.'
In the very early years (late 1700s - mid 1800s), the Creek peoples of the Southeast occupied territory as follows:
Upper Creeks - Occupied most of Alabama from south of the Tennessee River to Pensacola, FL.
Lower Creeks - Occupied most of Georgia and North Florida.
Seminole -' Breakaway' Creeks, Apalachees & Afro- American slaves who relocated to South Florida.
Here are a few profiles of key people who have played a role in the history of Native Americans in our general area:
- Andrew Ramsey, Chief of the Miccosukee Band of Apalachicola Creeks. Andrew Ramsey was born in 1923 and is an Apalachicola River Creek Native American living in Blountstown Florida. His family ancestors settled Calhoun County in 1815. Andrew's Indian name is Vntolv Harjo and under this name he was Chief of the Miccosukee band of the Apalachicola Creeks. The Creeks used to share a cultural history with the Seminoles, but following the Treaty of Moultrie Creek in 1823 they became a separate people. The government closed their Indian reservation on the west side of the Apalachicola River in the late 1830s.
- Calvin McGhee, Chief of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Despite the forced removal of Creek Indians from Georgia and Alabama in 1836, some Creeks in the Tensaw district of Alabama maintained a distinct community around the small town of Poarch. The federal government held a tract of land at Poarch in trust for the Indians until 1924. In the 1940s the community began to organize politically in its own interest, and from 1950 to 1970 tribal leader Calvin McGhee spearheaded a campaign for recognition of Creek land claims in the southeastern states. The Poarch Band raised funds largely through an annual Thanksgiving Day Pow Wow. The Poarch Band descends from Muscogee Creek Indians who sided with the United States in the Creek War of 1813-1814.
-- Calvin McGhee Cultural Center. 5811 Jack Springs Rd.Atmore, Alabama36502
- Muscogee Nation of Florida (formerly The Florida Tribe of Eastern Creek Indians) PO Box 3028. Bruce, FL 32455, is recognized by the House and Senate of the State of Florida. They reside in small townships across north Florida interior; families represent the clans of the Wind, Bird, Deer, Bobcat, Bear and Big House. (Google them and look for the town name, Bruce, FL.)
- Santa Rosa County Creek Indian Tribe, Inc. 4344 US Hwy 90 Suite A. Pace, FL. located between Pensacola and Milton in northwest Florida along Hwy 90 and Interstate 10, their mission is to raise community awareness to the Native American cultures, traditional and current issues. Surnames include: Nichols.
- Nathan Chessher, Elder, Muscogee Nation of Florida, is our local authority on historical aspects of Native Americans in our Okaloosa County area. The short list below is gleaned from his article, 'The Creek Nation in Okaloosa County, Florida' See the 'Native American Research & Resources' section at this website to locate this article and his article entitled, 'Indian Traders Migration to Our Area'. See more of his work in the Culture & Heritage section of this web page and in the exhibits at the Baker Block Museum.
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- There was a significant Indian trail along the Blackwater River.
- Both the trail and the river served as a dividing line between the Upper Creek and Lower Creek
hunting grounds. - There was (an Indian) Village near the Oak Grove Community on the Yellow River at the Great Ford,
many refugee Indians joined this group after the First and Second Creek Wars. - In December, 1814, the Old Alabamo King and 30 of his warriors were killed, and 75 people were taken
prisoner. This occurred on the East side of Yellow River, in present-day Okaloosa County, the exact
location is unknown.
Trade Paths.
There were many paths – old Indian trails, animal migration routes, stagecoach and supply routes and hunting paths. They came into prominence, fell into disuse, or took different forms and connections over the span of years. Not all existed at the same time and many were renamed or combined with other routes. This sometimes confuses researchers who may forget to match the right time frame with the correct usage of a particular path name.
Pensacola Trade Path. Actually a series of paths, much of it was in Alabama. The paths were known as the Pensacola trade path because that was its destination. This trail preceded and became part of the early Three-Notch Road and Old Spanish Trail systems. Settlers and native peoples used the trail; settlers coexisted with the Creek Indians living along it. Path names changed over time as do our present-day streets and roads.
Red Ground/Jackson Trail. Also part of this early system of trails and paths, this trail took its name from Andrew Jackson and his travels in the area. However, it was also known as the Red Ground Trail because it was a supply route between the CreekIndianVillage of Econcate(meaning, Red Ground), near the ApalachicolaRiver and Pensacola, FL.
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The Indianola Inn Hotel.
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The hotel was built just behind and almost on a Shell Midden which was originally considered to be an ordinary prehistorical shell mound from the Woodlands Era, but archaeological work has revealed it has a greater prominence. The Smithsonian records that the area of northwest Florida supported a fairly large Native American population. A large mound was evident at present-day Fort Walton Beach and two historic reports relate the use of a shell mound by the Walton Guard as a high spot on which to mount a cannon during the early years of the Civil War. Built in 1912, the hotel was destroyed by fire in 1962.
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Chief of the Euchee Peoples (Okaloosa-Walton Counties)
Chief Sam Story and the Euchee People. There were Euchee tribes in Tennessee and Georgia. And, in the early 1800s, Sam was Chief of a band of Euchee Indians in our area. They occupied lands on and to the west of the Choctawhatchee River - primarily in (present-day) Walton County.Learn more about Chief Sam and his people in the Culture & Heritage section of this web page, and in the Research & Resources section of this web page where you will find additional information on the topic.
This headstone was erected in the forest near the confluence of the Choctawhatchee River and its tributaries in Walton County, FL.
Baker Block Museum Educational Services. Corner Hwy 4 & Rt 189. Baker, FL 32531 (850)537-5714
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