Choctaws expand resort offerings
By By William F. West / community editor
Jan. 1, 2003
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians opened its newest and latest attractions last summer: the Golden Moon Hotel &Casino and the Geyser Falls Water Theme Park.
The new attractions are part of the Choctaws' Pearl River Resort and its Silver Star Hotel &Casino all in Choctaw, just minutes west of Philadelphia.
The $177 million Golden Moon, complete with a golden likeness of the moon atop the building, officially opened in early October. It had been doing business since late August.
The 28-story structure has 571 rooms including 112 suites and 32 luxury suites topped by a lounge, a restaurant and an observation deck. The bottom floor has a casino, coffee shop, lounges, restaurants and stores.
Earlier, in July, the Choctaws opened Geyser Falls. The $20 million project is next to a future recreational development, Lake Pushmataha, named in honor of the legendary Choctaw chief.
On top of that, the current chief of the Choctaws, Phillip Martin, is calling for the return of Pushmataha's remains from Washington. Martin wants to bury the chief on his native land.
