Multimillion-dollar Dream Keepers Park renovation to elevate Tulsa's Native American heritage

(TULSA, Okla.) Formerly Veterans Park, the public space at 21st and Boulder was renamed Dream Keepers Park in 2021 to honor Tulsa’s Native American history.

“Tulsa doesn't have any sort of cultural destination for Native Americans,” said Cheryl Cohenour, a Cherokee Citizen and Chair of the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission (GTAIAC). “People come to town and they want to see something Native American there really isn't anything. There are no statues or monuments, very few murals that even have a Native American flare to them so we decided that that was something that we really wanted to focus on if we were going to raise money to improve the park.”

That dream will soon come true, thanks to a $9 million plan that includes a grant from the Department of the Interior and National Parks Service and GTAIAC’s fundraising efforts. 

Cohenour and other members of the GTAIAC spent the last year raising money for renovations to the park and hiring an architect to create some drawings and a concept plan of what the renovations could look like. 

The plans include a new and expanded playground, better lighting, a focal structure, an area with flags representing Oklahoma’s 39 tribes and a special area for the three tribes that have reservation boundaries in Tulsa. 

"Our plan is to create cultural gardens that represent native grasses to their lands. The Muscogee (Creek), and the Osage and the Cherokee all have land based in Tulsa, that's why we chose those three to have garden representatives there,” said Cohenour. “They'll have a seating area around them with kiosks that tell you a little bit more about the tribe and how they ended up in Oklahoma.” 

Those three tribes also contributed to the fundraising efforts for the renovations with $275,000 coming from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Cherokee Nation and the Osage Nation each contributing $250,000. 

Other funding sources for the renovations came from Sharp Development, Ross Swimmer, Arvest Bank, and Spirit Bank. 

Anna America is the Parks, Culture, and Recreation Director for the City of Tulsa. She said while the funding for the renovations is secured, the city will need to work with traffic engineers and do things like stormwater assessments prior to starting renovations. 

There will also be opportunities for community input. 

“It’s really important that it’s community centered, and so we will make sure that we have some meetings,” said America. “We’ll have the neighborhood in there and in this case the neighborhood is people who’ve lived there but there are a lot of businesses in there, that it’s really important that we interface with them in a way that’s real positive for them and for us.”

Cohenour is hopeful at least some of the work will start in early 2025 and that attendees at next year’s Tulsa Native American Day will be able to enjoy some of the renovations. 

"This is important for Tulsa because the Native American community has not really been represented well for the City of Tulsa and for the state as a whole,” said Cohenour. “So anything that we can do to enhance the park and make it functional for all events, not just our own events, but to showcase the Native American community is a real source of pride for all of us.” 

Cohenour recognized the location of Dream Keepers Park is also very significant for Native Americans. 

"It has a tremendous significance in its proximity to the river and its proximity to the Creek Nation's Council Oak Tree and the stick ballpark,” said Cohenour. “It makes perfect sense to have a Native American park where Dream Keepers Park is currently."

To learn more about the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission and their work, click here.