Poarch Band of Creek Indians

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Native American tribe in Alabama. Its reservation, established in 1985, covers 230 acres at Poarch, eight miles from Atmore in Escambia County [1]. The band descends from Creeks who remained in the Southeast during and after the removal era, and today it has more than 3,000 members, about 1,000 of whom live on or near the reservation. This entry covers the band’s history, recognition, government and economic enterprises.

Origins

The band’s ancestors lived near Wetumpka, in Elmore County, and moved in the 1790s to settlements northwest of Atmore. In the early 1800s, Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins reported about 60 families in several communities. During the Creek War of 1813 and 1814, most Poarch Creeks allied with the United States; Dixon Bailey and David Tate led men at the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek in 1813. Under the Treaty of Fort Jackson, Lynn McGhee received a 640-acre parcel that later became the 240-acre “McGhee Reserve” [1]. The larger story of the Creek nation is in Muscogee (Creek) People in Alabama.

Nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

In 1817, Congress compensated Poarch Creek households harmed by Red Stick Creeks, and David Moniac was admitted to West Point, becoming the first Native American to graduate from it. Reconnection with the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma began in 1889. In 1920 the federal government ordered Escambia County to stop taxing the federal land that Poarch Creeks inhabited. In 1929 Episcopal missionaries established churches that also provided medical care and schooling [1].

Civil rights era and organization

In 1949 the Poarch Creek organized a boycott over a substandard segregated school and won access to county junior and high schools. In 1950 Calvin McGhee established the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi at Poarch. After McGhee’s death in 1970, Eddie L. Tullis led the effort for federal recognition [1].

Federal recognition

The Bureau of Indian Affairs extended government-to-government relations in 1983 and officially recognized the tribe on August 11, 1984, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. The reservation followed in 1985. Recognition gave the band access to federal programs and the ability to hold land in trust and govern itself [1].

Government and services

The band has a constitutional government with legislative, executive and judicial branches. In 2014, Stephanie Bryant became the first woman to serve as chair and chief executive officer. The reservation has a museum documenting tribal history [1].

Economic enterprises

Soon after recognition, the band opened a bingo hall in Escambia County. In the late 1980s it founded Wind Creek Hospitality, which now operates casinos in Montgomery, Atmore and Wetumpka, plus gaming in Florida and Mississippi. A bingo hall built at Hickory Point in Wetumpka in 2001 stood on a Muscogee Creek burial ground, and a 20-story hotel and casino opened there in 2013. In 2017 the band opened OWA Parks and Resort in Foley, with an amusement park, hotel, RV resort and entertainment district [1].

Learning more

The best sources on the band are its own government and museum. For the larger context, readers can see Indigenous Peoples of Alabama (Overview) and the main Alabama profile [1][2].

FAQs

Where is the Poarch Band? At Poarch, eight miles from Atmore in Escambia County.

When was it federally recognized? The BIA officially recognized it on August 11, 1984.

How many members does it have? More than 3,000.

What does Wind Creek Hospitality do? It operates the band’s resort and gaming properties.

Is it the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama? Yes.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Poarch Creek Indians
2. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Creeks in Alabama

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue