Ray Rose, chairman of the Tribal Casino Gambling Enterprise, prayed for “unity and harmony.” “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” Larry Blythe, vice chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, invoked Psalm 127:1. On a knoll amid scenic mountains reached by a winding temporary dirt road, an enigmatic and uplifting spiritual tone filled the October 15 groundbreaking for a gambling house. Near the top of this fast-track list in North Carolina is the Murphy casino.

Then these state agencies fast-track highway improvements so known money-makers can get built speedily and their credit-card swipe devices can start processing lots of plastic. To make up for the loss, here in North Carolina the state Commerce and Transportation departments are identifying proven money-makers that can generate cash in high-unemployment areas. This comes as cutbacks in federal and state grants are hitting U.S. This celebration marked the ceremonial starting point for what will be called Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel. The October 15 event was held just east of Murphy on Cherokee trust land abutting some private parcels owned by Murphy’s Wells family. The Eastern Band celebrated a groundbreaking for the new casino last week in western North Carolina’s Cherokee County. But because the airport authority has operated in secret for years, it’s hard to tell exactly how the extra business might help the underperforming airstrip. This could boost local business, including revenues at the nearby public airport. High-flying gamblers will be heading to western North Carolina to take advantage of a new Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians casino in 2015.

The dance was part of the ground-breaking ceremony for a new Cherokee Indian casino. Deb McManus, an Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians member, participate in the Cherokee Friendship Dance with the Warriors of Anikituwah. Photo by Scott McKie B.P./ One Feather Big Cove Rep.

Casino cherokee national forest