Pawnee in Pawnee County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

The Carriage House

— Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024

1. The Carriage House Marker

Inscription.
Both the mansion and the carriage house were constructed in 1910. The carriage house was utilitarian, serving as the ranch's first barn and bunkhouse but shared many of the same Arts and Crafts design features as the mansion. The second floor was designed as living quarters for cowboys who worked on the ranch. The first floor served many different purposes from carriage and car storage to stables for the ranch horses to slaughterhouse. Today, the carriage house is a private residence and is not open to the public.

Today, the residence still holds many of the markers of its original purpose. Horse rings are sunk into arch posts on the front of the house. On the west side of the building, as viewed from the lookout on the rock wall between the carriage house and mansion, the original stable windows can be seen. On the south side of the building, a cutout on the building's eave shows how hay was lifted into the original hay loft. This building's roof originally looked like the blacksmith's shop roof, including the large vent on top.

[other photo captions]
• A group of cowboys work on the ranch. Cowboys were offered the chance

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to stay on the ranch property in the carriage house. May Lillie would wake each morning and call the bunkhouse to give the daily orders.

Erected by Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum. (Marker Number 3.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 36° 19.91′ N, 96° 48.989′ W. Marker is in Pawnee, Oklahoma, in Pawnee County. It can be reached from Pawnee Bill Road just east of Harrison Street (U.S. 64), on the right when traveling east. The marker is located on the west side of the Pawnee Bill Ranch main parking lot, and directly in front of the former carriage house. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1141 Pawnee Bill Road, Pawnee OK 74058, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Tulsa.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the

Marker detail: May Lillie entertains guests on the side porch of the carriage house. image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: May Lillie entertains guests on the side porch of the carriage house.

The extensive side porch between the mansion and carriage house provided ample space for the large parties the Lilies often hosted at their ranch.

Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum (a few steps from this marker); The Observation Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); The Goldfish Pond (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mansion (within shouting distance of this marker); The Blacksmith Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Gordon William (Pawnee Bill) and May Manning Lillie (within shouting distance of this marker); Local and Regional Sites (within shouting distance of this marker); The Log Cabin (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pawnee.

Regarding The Carriage House. Contributing structure, Blue Hawk Peak Ranch, National Register of Historic Places № 75001571 (now known as Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum).

From the National Register Nomination prepared by Kent Ruth, Oklahoma Historical Society, 5/1975:
On this commanding point Pawnee Bill built

3. Marker detail: Pawnee Bill and May Lillie sit in their touring car in front of the carriage house.
The carriage house originally had space to store the ranch horses, cars, and carriages while the cowboys slept in the upstairs.
a rambling log cabin he named Blue Hawk Peak for his Indian friend. Here the Lillies lived until 1910 when their new stone bungalow was built. The comfortably rustic "mansion" remained their home until they died, May in 1936, Pawnee Bill in 1242. When his Wild West Show finally went under in 1913 Pawnee Bill retired to Blue Hawk Peak and concentrated on building up and promoting his herds of bison and cattle. When the state purchased the ranch in 1961, it stood much as it had when Pawnee Bill died twenty years before. The house, outbuildings, garden, original log cabin, and three-story stone-and-steel barn were essentially unchanged.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum

Also see . . . Pawnee Bill Ranch (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The Pawnee Bill Ranch, also known as the Blue Hawk Peak Ranch, was the home of Wild West show entertainer, Gordon W. "Pawnee Bill" Lillie. In December 1910, Lillie and his wife May's dream of a home on top of a hill overlooking a bend in the Black Bear River was realized. Between the years of 1910 and 1926, many other

4. Marker detail: Mexican Joe & Pawnee Bill sit at the carriage house and enjoy a friendly cigar.
Pawnee Bill's dog, Cappy, was a familiar sight on the ranch in Pawnee Bill's later years. The carriage house sandstone and red mortar seen in this photograph is a trademark of the ranch buildings.
buildings were added to the ranch site. Between 1910 and 1913 the carriage house, log cabin, blacksmith shop, and observation tower were added to the site by the Lillies to accommodate their growing businesses. Since 1962, Blue Hawk Peak has been owned by the State of Oklahoma. Now operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society, Pawnee Bill Ranch, as it is known today, is open as a historic site dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of history as it relates to Pawnee Bill and May.

(Submitted on February 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Pawnee Bill and Mexican Joe work the vegetable garden between the carriage house and image. Click for full size.

5. Marker detail: Pawnee Bill and Mexican Joe work the vegetable garden between the carriage house and

This photograph was taken for use in Better Homes and Gardens in the 1930s.

The Carriage House (<i>north elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024

6. The Carriage House (north elevation)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024

7. The Carriage House Marker

Looking west from near the Pawnee Bill Ranch main parking lot; the former carriage house is in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 110 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7. submitted on February 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.