The landscape of Seminole’s northeast side is changing once again as Oklahoma’s smallest Indian Tribe constructs new facilities for its child support services operation.

Construction is now underway on the Modoc Tribal Child Support Services (TCSS) office, which is being built on Wrangler Boulevard, directly across from Walmart. The area has seen a recent surge in development with retailers such as AT&T and Tractor Supply opening stores along the highway within the past few years.

While the name might be unfamiliar to many, the Modoc Tribe is not new to the Seminole area – it currently has offices at 319 N. Harvey Road. Services offered through TCSS include establishment of paternity, DNA testing, establishment, enforcement and modification of child support, location of absent parents and disbursement of payments.

TCSS serves about three dozen native entities including the Seminole Nation, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the Sac and Fox Nation. The tribe says it does not charge a fee for its services and does not take any of the money it helps its clients receive. TCSS also offers a supervised tribal enforcement payment program, which works with the non-custodial parent to ensure that they find employment and remain current on their monthly child support payments.

The Modoc Nation is headquartered in Miami, Oklahoma. Chief Bill G. Follis became chairman in 1973. When the tribe was granted federal recognition in 1978, Follis became the first federally recognized chief of the Modoc in Oklahoma since the death of Bogus Charley in 1880.

The tribe’s government complex includes an archives and library, which is the only one in the area dedicated to Native American history and genealogy. The tribe operates a housing authority, one casino, (established in 1998 in partnership with the Miami Nation) and Red Cedar Recycling, which has been open to the community since 1996. The nation manages the Modoc Bison Project as a member of the Inter-Tribal Bison Council and issues their own tribal license plates. The casino, known as The Stables, is located in Miami, and includes a restaurant and gift shop.

Modoc were native to the Pacific Coast. After the Modoc War of 1872–73, 153 Modoc were removed to the Quapaw Agency in Indian Territory. Those who either eluded capture or did not participate in combat against the United States were allowed to remain on Oregon’s Klamath Reservation. In 1909 the Oklahoma Modoc were allowed to return to Oregon if they desired. Modoc tribal enrollment stood at approximately 200 in 2006.