Tribe mystified by opposition to possible Kansas casino

Friday, Sept. 8, 2000 | 9 a.m.

But the chief of the American Indian tribe considering the proposal can't figure out what all the fuss is about.

"We've got people running up and down the court calling foul, and we haven't even tossed the ball up yet," said Dee Ketchum, chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and a former basketball player at the University of Kansas. "How can we foul anybody? The game hasn't even started yet."

Ketchum's tribe, based in Bartlesville, Okla., continues to study the idea of opening a casino, hotel, convention center and museum on 80 acres near Lawrence Municipal Airport.

Ketchum is optimistic that opposition to the idea - which was unveiled six weeks ago - could soften once Lawrence residents understand his tribe's background and plans.

"We don't want to go anyplace we're not wanted," Ketchum said this week.

Ketchum and his 10,500-member tribe consider the proposed site of a casino part of their heritage.

Before being forced to move to Oklahoma, the tribe lived from 1830 to 1867 on a 2 million-acre reservation in northeast Kansas. In 1863, a group of Delaware helped drive Quantrill's raiders from town, Ketchum said.

The ties to Lawrence are important because federal law allows tribes to operate gaming operations on American Indian lands. And federal officials encourage tribes without permanent homes - the Delaware tribe has been unable to secure land within the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma - to focus on their previous reservation land, Ketchum said.

Buying 80 acres of farmland near the Lawrence airport could be the answer.

"We're looking at our old reservation property, and Lawrence seemed to be an ideal spot because it's right off the (Kansas) Turnpike," he said, noting it would be good for attracting tourists.

"It could have been in Leavenworth. It could have been in Wyandotte County. We're not saying it wouldn't be. It very well could be. We're just looking at Lawrence at the present time," he said.

With or without the casino, Ketchum said, the tribe may build new housing and a child-care center in Lawrence.

Lawrence would benefit from the economic development from a Delaware casino through employment, education and revenue, Ketchum said.

The casino operation and related features - a 400-room hotel, a convention center and museum - could bring in $50 million a year, he said. Some of that would be turned over to the University of Kansas, Haskell Indian Nations University, the city of Lawrence, Douglas County and the state of Kansas.

"We're talking about a significant impact," Ketchum said. "And we'd be willing to put it in writing."

The tribe also would be able to expand its scholarship programs, he said.

Instead of giving each member a one-time scholarship of $300 or $400 for college, assistance could be expanded to help with four years of school.

"Our way of being able to put members