the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, which led to the widespread expansion of tribal gambling operations across the country and a law passed by Congress a. East Texas is gorgeous just about any time of the year, so if you're looking for somewhere to camp that's unique and secluded, try the Lake Tombigbee Campground. The legal battle over gambling offered by the Tigua and the Alabama-Coushatta tribes of Texas has centered on two events from 1987 a Supreme Court decision in the case of California vs. The campground is just a few miles from the new Naskila Casino, which is near the reservation entrance and is also a lot of fun. Located about 17 miles east of the lovely little town of Livingston, the reservation itself is clean and well laid out. The lake is small and intimate - absolutely beautiful - and you can rent paddle boats, weather permitting.

If you call a week in advance, you can also rent a teepee that will accommodate up to 6 people. The Alabamas invited the Coushattas onto their land thus becoming the Alabama-Coushatta in 1859, according to Principal Chief Mikko Kanicu. (Now, with all the big rigs, fifth-wheels and tow vehicles cluttering up a campground, it's very hard to find anyplace that gives you that 'roughing it' feeling without actually being primitive, but the Lake Tombigbee Campground does it.) There are cabins (from $40 to $110 per day), primitive sites for tent camping ($15 per day), pull-thru's for the really big rigs with slide-outs ($30 per day), and even sites on an asphalt parking lot if you need a completely level area near a dump station. Many would be surprised to know the reservation dates back to the 1780s when the Alabama and Coushatta Indians tribes migrated across the Sabine River into the Spanish controlled territory of modern day Texas. When we visited, the weather was lousy so there were very few campers, but the lush pines, dogwood and shrubbery surrounding each site reminded me of my childhood camping days. This is a beautiful place to stay on Texas' oldest Indian reservation.

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