CHICKASAW MOTOR INN

Demolition of the Chickasaw Motor Inn, slated for mid-January, 2006, marks a new era in the development of Chickasaw Nation businesses.

In 1972, when the Chickasaw Nation purchased the facility, it was the first business owned and operated by the tribe.

“It was the beginning of our long-range goals of eventually becoming self sufficient,” said former Governor Overton James, who was serving at the time of the purchase. “We needed to get into profit making activities so we could be self sufficient.”

In 1972, the Chickasaw Nation purchased what was then known as the Artesian Hotel and changed the name to the Chickasaw Motor Inn.

After the Economic Development Association foreclosed on the property, they advised interested parties to submit sealed bids for purchase of the property.

A bid of $139,000 by the Chickasaw Nation earned the tribe the right to purchase the facility.

“For $139,000 we probably got a 400 to 500 thousand dollar asset,” said Gov. James. “Of course it needed some remodeling and renovation.”

A $210,000 grant from the BIA was used to renovate and remodel the facility.

Tribal officials also made careful plans to accommodate for the seasonal nature of the business, which had been a primary factor in the failure of the previous owners.

With appropriate renovations and a new business plan, the Motor Inn quickly became a profit-making venture for the Chickasaw Nation, earning approximately $100,000 for the tribe in its first year of operation.

Through more than three decades in business, the Motor Inn has undergone additional renovations and upgrades.

“Revenues have varied some through the years, but over time, the Motor Inn has proved to be a very good investment,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby.

In addition to being the first tribal business, the facility also served as a headquarters of sorts.

A bath house, which was a primary attraction of the facil- ity when it was opened by the previous owners, was no longer profitable when the tribe purchased the property.

“We didn’t feel that would be profitable to spend a lot of money restoring the baths, so we used that space and created an office space,” said Gov. James. “Those were the first tribal offices that we had.”

At the time there were approximately 25 tribal employees.

As the tribe began to offer more programs and services, lack of office space became a serious issue.

“The CHR program was the biggest program we had at that time,” said Gov. James. “Their office was there, but all of them were field workers and they didn’t have to office in there. But it was way too small for us, because we couldn’t even begin to house everything that we needed to, so we had to establish a headquarters somewhere.”

By 1977, when the number of tribal employees had grown to more than 50, the Chickasaw Nation established a tribal headquarters at the present location in Ada.

Since that time, the Chickasaw Motor Inn has continued in operation, serving as one of the most familiar landmarks in the area.

Now, that familiar landmark is coming down to make way for another.

Construction of a new Artesian Hotel on the site will mark a new era for Chickasaw Nation, as the tribe makes a concerted effort to expand its hospitality businesses, building on the site where it all began.