Pawnee in Pawnee County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
The Log Cabin
| | Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
1. The Log Cabin Marker
The log cabin was built in 1910 and was a symbol of Americana, harkening back to the time of Abraham Lincoln. This log cabin is built out of cedar logs gathered in the area along the Black Bear Creek with an outdoor summer kitchen located on the southwest corner and an interior stone fireplace.
While Pawnee Bill would tell visitors that this was the log cabin that he lived in when he was first starting the ranch, it was not. This cabin was used as a movie prop, as an educational tool, and as a club house. Pawnee Bill would treat friends and associates from the East to a real western experience. According to oral histories, he would send cowboys from the ranch to kidnap his guests from the incoming trains and hold them in the log cabin as part of that western experience.
[other photo caption]
The William Henry Harrison cabin was a popular piece of political propaganda used in the mid-1800s.
Erected by Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Entertainment • 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.
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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 least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Earth Lodge (here, next to this marker); The Blacksmith Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); The Observation Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); The Windmill (within shouting distance of this marker); The Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Local and Regional Sites (within shouting distance of this marker); Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); The Old Entrance Gate (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pawnee.
Regarding The Log Cabin. 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 cabinhe 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.
2. Marker detail: Zack Taylor's Tradin' PostLog cabins played an important part in Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show. This image shows an intricate Wild West Show prop known as Zack Taylor's Tradin' Post that looks very similar to the log cabin that was built on Pawnee Bill's ranch.
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(Submitted on February 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)to accommodate their growing businesses. In 1926, to meet the 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.
3. Marker detail: Pawnee Bill in DugoutPawnee Bill is seen inside of a dugout which was once on the ranch property. The interior of this dugout shows how the inside of the cabin would have once been decorated. Some of the items seen in this photograph are still in the ranch collection today.
December 1910
4. Marker detail: Buffalo Bill Cody
Buffalo Bill Cody stands in front of the log cabin during a visit in December of 1910. At that time, the log cabin was known as "Mexican Joe's cabin." Pawnee Bill's bison herd stands in the foreground.
5. Marker detail: May Lillie stands in front of the log cabin for a movie promotional shot.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
6. The Log Cabin Marker
Looking northwest; the Log Cabin is in the background.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
7. The Log Cabin (northwest elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
8. The Log Cabin (northeast elevation)
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 144 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on February 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
