Oklahoma: A Story Through Her People

Above: Eagle Creek.
Below: John Berrey with Quapaw Man.
As a convenience for customers and travelers
alike, a state-of-the-art convenience store and
gas station is available on a fourteen acre
site on the Missouri side of the Downstream
property. There is even a charging station
for electric vehicles. Parking is available for
twenty-two semi-tractor-trailer trucks and
there is an RV Park with forty spaces providing
full water and electricity hook-ups.
The Downstream Development Authority is
governed by a five-member board, including
the Chairman of the Tribe’s Business Committee,
John L. Berrey; Secretary and Treasurer of the
Business Committee Tamara
Smiley; Secretary and Treasurer
of the Business Committee,
George R. McWatters, Jr.;
Marilyn Rogers; and Larry
Ramsey. The overall impact of
Downstream Casino Resort has
generated more than $225 million
in economic output annually,
creating more than 1,640
permanent jobs. Oklahoma,
Missouri, and Kansas are all
enhanced economically from revenue, taxes,
and jobs created from the casino. The tribal
impact is significant as Downstream distributes
$10 million a year to the Quapaw Tribe
earmarked toward tribal services such as
healthcare, environmental service, senior centers,
a children’s learning center, scholarships,
and subsidizing housing for Tribal members.
With the opening of Downstream’s new Kappa
hotel tower, spa, and other amenities, the economic
output is projected to reach about $300
million annually, as well as creating a total
of 1,880 permanent jobs. In addition to the
large casino, there is also the Quapaw Casino,
several miles north of Miami, Oklahoma.
Much credit is given to the Tribe’s chairman
and leader, John Berrey, who has been
responsible for the Tribe’s success over the
last fourteen years. Berrey has served the Tribe
not only in the capacity of chairman, but as
an active leader in Indian Country, serving
as vice chairman and board member of the
Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association, member
of the Inter-Tribal Council of Ottawa County,
Oklahoma, representative to the United States
Department of the Interior’s Trust Reform
Initiatives, and board of directors of the
Claremore Indian Hospital. He has also served
as spokesman for the Tribe, and has testified
numerous times before congressional committees
and worked with various government
representatives to promote Indian legislation.
Berrey was also appointed to the Advisory
Council for Historic Preservation by President
Bush in September 2008.
The Quapaw Tribe has also received two
national humanitarian awards for volunteer
efforts, particularly with the Joplin, Missouri,
tornado disaster in May 2011. The Joplin
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