Trail of Tears Park
A Trail of Tears Park is being planned east of McMinnville, according to a website about the development.
The site does not list contacts, but a source said the park would be at an extensive site along Highway 8, which leads to Dunlap.
The source said the park is being financed by Chinese investors and is planned to be "the size of DisneyWorld."
The designs on the website include a Great Spirit Arena, a Sacred Ground Pavilion and a Flaming Arrow monorail system.
It will have a National Trail of Tears Museum that will house Native American artificats, Trail of Tears artifacts and Native American inspired artwork. It is to be an interactive museum.
The museum building itself "will be the largest Native American monument in the United States."
Charles Johnson, of the Southern Standard newspaper at McMinnville, said a local commissioner is familiar with the project. But he said he had not been informed of details.
He said there is extensive available land along Highway 8 - much of which has been clearcut.
The website said miles of the original Trail of Tears are on the property and will be preserved. The Trail of Tears was the name given the route of the forced exodus to the West of Native Americans in the 1830s.
It says the group will be acquiring other sections of the trail to be placed in a non-profit conservancy.
It says it will be an interactive learning park that will include animatronics depictions of Trail of Tears history, replicas of period town, village and farms, mule train adventures, replica camping and overnight sites, flora learning trail and a children's farm animal petting zoo.
The park will construct an agricultural and environment showcase that will trace the history and development of agriculture in America. The state-of-the-art exhibit will show agriculture of the past and introduce visitors to agriculture of the future.
The arena is to be used for concerts, conferences, pow-wows and conventions.
There is also to be a conference center and a destination point resort and spa that will be constructed, operated and managed by a major hotelier.
There is also to be an indoor water park to include activities for all ages such as water slides, wave pools, swimming and diving areas. The water park will have the ability to qualify as a swimming and diving competition site.
The park will set aside several areas as wildlife zones. The website says for every acre that is developed, there will be at least 10 acres preserved.
The park is to provide educational opportunities in the areas of history, agriculture and environmental science. It will "provide opportunities for visitors to experience and learn artesian crafts both from the past as well as modern artesian crafts."
The site is
http://www.trailoftearspark.com/link_park/designs.asp