Openings & Closings

Poarch Creek gaming expansion on hold amid sacred site talks

Thursday, October 18, 2012

The Poarch Creek Band of Indians put a $246 million casino expansion project on hold due to concerns about a sacred site.

The Wind Creek Wetumpka is located on the Hickory Ground. Creek ancestors are buried there and the site was the last home of the Creek National Council prior to removal.

Some remains have already been removed at the site, which has housed a smaller gaming facility since the early 2000s. The expansion could disrupt more graves, according to the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma.

The suspension affects hundreds of construction jobs. The new casino itself is expected to employ more than 1,000 people.

Get the Story:
Poarch Creeks stop construction on planned 20-story hotel/casino in Wetumpka (The Montgomery Advertiser 10/18)
Poarch Creeks Halt $246 Million Wetumpka Casino Construction (North Escambia 10/18)
Poarch Creek Indians Stop Construction at Wetumpka Casino (WNCF-TV 10/17)
Poarch Creeks to halt construction of Wetumpka casino (The Birmingham News 10/17)
Poarch Band Stops Controversial Casino Expansion on Hickory Ground Sacred Site (Indian Country Today 10/17)
Indian Tribe Halts Construction Of Casino Complex (AP 10/17)