Gordon William Lillie (February 14, 1860 – February 3, 1942), known professionally as Pawnee Bill, was an American showman and performer who specialized in

Wild West shows Wild West shows were traveling vaudeville performances in the United States and Europe that existed around 1870–1920. The shows began as theatrical stage productions and evolved into open-air shows that depicted romanticized stereotypes of co ...

and was known for his short partnership with William "Buffalo" Bill Cody. In 2010, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

Early life and family

Pawnee Bill was born on February 14, 1860, in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

. His father Newton operated a flour mill in Bloomington; the mill burned to the ground in 1876. The family then moved to Wellington, Kansas, where Gordon developed a love for the West. By the age of 19, he was working on the Pawnee Indian agency in

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. In 1883, he was given the chance to work as the Pawnee interpreter with

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at t ...

. His work with the show was the origin of his nickname as "Pawnee Bill".

Wild West show

After courting for two years, Lillie married May Manning in 1886, a petite Quaker from Pennsylvania, who was younger by nine years, a graduate of Smith College, and the daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia physician. At first, her parents objected to their refined young daughter marrying a cowboy, but eventually they agreed to the union. In 1888, the Lillies launched their own Wild West show, which they called "Pawnee Bill’s Historic Wild West". May starred in the show as the "Champion Girl Horseback Shot of the West." Their first season was a financial disaster where they re-organized as a smaller operation called "Pawnee Bill’s Historical Wild West Indian Museum and Encampment Show." That show was popular and financially successful. Lillie added Jose Barrera to the cast; he was widely popular performing as " Mexican Joe". Mamie Francis performed with Pawnee Bill's from 1901 to 1905. In 1907, Lillie hired performers from a variety of backgrounds. The show included Mexican cowboys,

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

, Japanese performers, and Arab jugglers. The ensemble debuted as "Pawnee Bill’s Great Far East Show." In 1908, Pawnee Bill and

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

joined forces and created the "Two Bills' show. That show was foreclosed on when it was playing in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. While Gordon Lillie had been on tour, May supervised their buffalo ranch, now known as Pawnee Bill Ranch. The Lillies completed work on their Arts-and-Crafts style home on Blue Hawk Peak in 1910.

Later life

Pawnee Bill invested in banking, real estate, and oil. He operated various business interests and dabbled in film making at his ranch. In 1930, May and Pawnee Bill opened Pawnee Bill’s Old Town near the ranch. They sold Indian and Mexican crafts, and featured annual rodeos. That enterprise burned to the ground in the 1940s and was never rebuilt. In 1936, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in

Taos, New Mexico Taos () is a town in Taos County, New Mexico, Taos County, in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Santa Fe ...

. In September of that year they attended a local celebration in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. While driving back to their ranch that night, Pawnee Bill lost control of their vehicle. May died as a result of her injuries, and Pawnee Bill never fully recovered. He died in his sleep on February 3, 1942, at the age of 81 in his home outside of

Pawnee, Oklahoma Pawnee (Pawnee language, Pawnee: Paári, ) is a city and county seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The town is northeast of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater at the junction of U.S. Route 64 in Oklahoma, U.S. ...

Legacy

The Pawnee Bill Ranch continues to exist, including a museum. The Pawnee Bill Memorial Rodeo is held annually, as is a version of Pawnee Bill’s Original Wild West Show.

References

Bibliography * * Hyde, G. Hyde and Savoie Lottinville. ''The Pawnee Indians: Civilization of the American Indian Series,'' (2007). * Moses, L.G. ''Wild West Shows and the Images of American Indians, 1883-1933''. University of New Mexico Press, (1999). * * Wallis, Michael. ''The Real Wild West, The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West.'' St. Martin's Press, New York. (1999). * * Weltfish, G. ''The Lost Universe: Pawnee Life and Culture'' (1990).

External links

*
Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pawnee Bill 1860 births 1942 deaths People from Bloomington, Illinois American stunt performers Wild West show founders and owners Rodeo promoters and managers Entertainers from Oklahoma Cowboys People from Wellington, Kansas Bloomington High School (Bloomington, Illinois) alumni