Pawnee in Pawnee County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
The Blacksmith Shop
| | Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
1. The Blacksmith Shop Marker
The blacksmith shop was one of the most important areas of the ranch. Built in 1911, the blacksmith shop on the ranch was used to produce objects from the mundane to decorative. On the ranch, blacksmiths were responsible for shoeing horses, repairing farming equipment, and making sure that wagons and tack were in working order. The rings on the pillars of the shop were used to tie horses. The forge was where most of the work would take place, with the fire heating the wrought iron or steel to make it pliable to work with tools. The shed housed various other farming tools.
Many of the building materials here on the site contain fossils of sea creatures that used to live in the area during prehistoric times, such as brachiopod fossils. Some of the building materials contain seashells. As you tour the site, keep your eyes open for these sea creatures.
[other photo caption]
While no photos exist showing the interior of this blacksmith's shop in use, this image shows a common scene from a shop. A blacksmith works on an anvil with his hammer and tools while an assistant helps.
Erected by Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum. (Marker
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Paleontology • 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 1911.
Location. 36° 19.89′ N, 96° 48.994′ 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 Pawnee Bill Ranch interpretive trail, near the southeast corner of the Blacksmith Shop. 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 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
2. Marker detail: The shop was newly completed at the time of this photograph.
A team of horses is hitched up outside of the blacksmith shop. The original wooden storage shed can be seen in the back of the shop.
Regarding The Blacksmith Shop. 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 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, PawneeBill 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.
3. Marker detail: The carriage house shortly after completion.The building materials for the blacksmith shop can be seen on the left side of the photograph.
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 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. In 1926, to meet the(Submitted on February 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)need for larger livestock accommodations, the Lillies built an impressive three story barn. 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.
4. Marker detail: Two carriages sit outside of the blacksmiths shop waiting for repairs.The rings in the pillars for the horses to be hitched can be seen in this photograph.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
5. The Blacksmith Shop (south elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
6. The Blacksmith Shop (southeast elevation)
The marker is on the left.
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 143 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
