Ranch anniversary marks Pawnee Bill legacy

Gordon W. "Pawnee Bill” Lillie and his wife, May Manning Lillie, had been leading their Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show for 14 years in 1902 when they purchased land in what had been the Cherokee Outlet from their Pawnee friend, Blue Hawk.

They were on the road often, with Gordon running the show and May starring as a sharpshooter and an accomplished horse rider, but they started planning a 14-room Tudor-style Arts and Crafts bungalow on Blue Hawk Peak. It was completed in December 1910.

The 100th anniversary of that remarkable home will be celebrated by the Oklahoma Historical Society with Pawnee Bill’s Birthday Party on Feb. 12 at the mansion on the 500-acre Pawnee Bill Ranch Historic Site, one-half mile west of the town of Pawnee on U.S. 64. Visitors will be able to see the original furnishings, decorations and extensive memorabilia of the couple.

"Pawnee Bill’s high-style bungalow is one of the best Arts and Crafts homes in Oklahoma,” said Bob Blackburn, director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. "For years, experts refused to label it Arts and Crafts, believing the building could not be found in 1910 Oklahoma. The Lillies, however, had traveled extensively and were fully aware of the latest trends at that time. It is now recognized as a Tudor-style Arts and Crafts home.”

No reproductions are used in the interpretation of the mansion, said Erin Brown, who with her husband, Ron Brown, manages the ranch, home and the Pawnee Bill Museum for the historical society.

"The approximately 5,300-square-foot home is characterized by the use of mahogany in the downstairs area, inlaid doors and floors, built-ins, original tapestry and wallpaper, mosaic tiles in the fireplaces, and large, china-tiled bathrooms.

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