Pawnee Bill Ranch facts for kids
The Pawnee Bill Ranch, also called the Blue Hawk Peak Ranch, was the home of a famous Wild West show performer named Gordon W. "Pawnee Bill" Lillie. This ranch is located in Pawnee, Oklahoma. Today, the Oklahoma Historical Society owns and takes care of it.
The Pawnee Bill Ranch covers 500 acres. It used to be much larger, about 2000 acres! You can still see the original buildings there. There's a historic home filled with furniture from the past, a modern museum, and even a herd of bison, Longhorn cattle, and horses.
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The Story of Blue Hawk Peak Ranch
Pawnee Bill really believed that bison were important to the history of the American West. He also thought they were key to the culture of the Plains Indian people. He wanted to help bison numbers grow and even asked Congress to pass laws to protect them. This is how the ranch started helping to save bison. Today, the ranch is still an active member of the Oklahoma Bison Association.
In December 1910, Pawnee Bill and his wife, May, saw their dream come true. Their beautiful home was finished after almost a year of building. It sat on top of a hill, looking over a bend in the Black Bear River. James Hamilton, an architect from Chester, Pennsylvania, designed the house. Pawnee Bill and May also shared their ideas for the design.
The home was built using native stone from the ranch grounds. It was a comfortable and modern place, covering about 5300 square feet (492 square meters). Local workers helped build this amazing house.
More Buildings at the Ranch
Between 1910 and 1926, many other buildings were added to the ranch. From 1910 to 1913, the Lillies added a carriage house, a log cabin, a blacksmith shop, and an observation tower. These buildings helped with their growing businesses.
In 1926, they built a huge three-story barn. This barn was needed to house more livestock. It held Pawnee Bill's herd of Scottish Shorthorn cattle. The basement level was for the ranch horses. The second floor housed the cattle. The top floor was used to store hay and other feed grown on the ranch.
On October 10, 1975, the ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical sites in the United States. It was listed under its original name, Blue Hawk Peak Ranch.
The Ranch Today
Since 1962, the State of Oklahoma has owned Blue Hawk Peak. Now, the Oklahoma Historical Society runs it. Today, it's known as the Pawnee Bill Ranch. It's a historic site that helps people learn about Pawnee Bill and May Lillie.
The ranch also has exhibits about ranching, Wild West shows, and the experiences of American Indians in these shows. In 1970, a museum was built on the site. It holds a collection of Western items and offers educational experiences for visitors. The Pawnee Bill Ranch is open all year. It provides learning programs for both adults and children. Every year, they even have a re-enactment of Pawnee Bill's Historic Wild West Show!
Pawnee Bill and the Boy Scouts
In 1938, near the end of his life, Pawnee Bill gave the ranch property to the Boy Scouts of America. He had a lot of respect for this organization. However, on May 25, 1940, the Boy Scouts of America decided not to accept the offer.
Even though they didn't take the ranch, the Pawnee Bill Ranch has always been connected with the Boy Scouts. It has been the site for many Eagle Scout projects. Local and council Boy Scout groups also hold annual campouts there. For many years, a Boy Scout district was even named "Pawnee Bill District" in his honor.
Images for kids
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Pawnee Bill Museum Entrance
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Pawnee Bill Museum Site Menu
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Pawnee Bill Museum Blacksmith Marker
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Pawnee Bill Museum Blacksmith Sign
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Pawnee, Oklahoma
More Information
- www.pawneebillranch.org - This is the official website for the Pawnee Bill Ranch. The Oklahoma Historical Society owns and manages it.
- [1] - You can find the Pawnee Bill Ranch page here. It's run by TravelOK.com, which is the official site for Oklahoma Tourism.
- [2] - This is the form used to nominate Blue Hawk Peak for the National Register of Historic Places.
