Historic Southwestern Biography: Pawnee Bill

Wild West Showman Gordon “Pawnee Bill” Lillie joined the first Buffalo Bill Wild West show at age 23, after spending a number of years living with the Pawnee Indians in Oklahoma. After being recruited to organize a Pawnee performing troupe, he joined the show as a performer and interpreter. While on tour with the show in Philadelphia, he met May Manning, a 15-year-old Quaker girl, who was watching the parade. Gordon was smitten, and after two years of a long distance courtship they were married.

Gordon gave his new bride a pony and a rifle as wedding gifts, and May turned out to be a natural horsewoman and a natural shot, as well. Lillie went on to feature May in all his shows as “Champion Girl Horseback Shot of the West.” She was one of the first women to perform as an equestrian and shooter in American Wild West Shows.

After his marriage, Lillie found backers for a show of his own, and in 1888 took the “Pawnee Bill Wild West Show” on the road. After only one season it failed, but Lillie had many irons in the fire, and after receiving some notoriety for leading the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, he reorganized his show and named it “Pawnee Bill’s Historical Wild West Indian Museum and Encampment.” This time the show met with success.

After a number of years touring with different versions of his show, Pawnee Bill would join forces with Buffalo Bill to create the last show either would produce, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Pawnee Bill’s Great Far East Show.” The show ran for five years, finally closing in Denver Colorado in 1913, but while it ran, it was the entertainment triumph of the ages.

Bill and May settled into a more private life on their land in Pawnee, Oklahoma. As years went by, they started a buffalo ranch, a movie production company, and developed a wide variety of interests.

Several of their “Wild West Show” friends had settled in Taos, New Mexico, and the Lillies made a habit of spending part of every summer in Taos, where they added greatly to their circle of friends. Among that circle were Doc and Helen Martin, who had important roles in the founding of the Northern New Mexico community. Doc and Helen had purchased a number of buildings surrounding a small plaza, and over the years had provided lodging for artists and others who were new to the area, which in the meantime had become a thriving art colony.

When Doc died, Helen bought the last of the properties on the Plaza and made it official. The Hotel Martin (now the Taos Inn) opened in 1936 with a grand celebration. On hand for the events were their friends Pawnee Bill and May, who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary that summer in Taos. It would be the last time the Lillies visited Taos together.

Pawnee Bill was without a doubt, one of the foremost Wild West Showmen, and a perpetuator of the Wild West as both history and myth in America.

This year the Taos Inn is again having a grand celebration for its 75th anniversary.

Visit the Taos Unlimited Wild West Section for More on Pawnee Bill

More about the the Doc and Helen Martin and The Taos Inn

More about Taos as an Art Colony on Taos Unlimited

Get Ready to Vacation in Northern New Mexico

Northern New Mexico is a virtual cultural and recreational playground. The high desert plateaus and Southern Rocky Mountains provide a fantastic variety of landscapes which accommodate an abundance of outdoor opportunities. It’s the ideal place for a wonderful summer vacation, whether you enjoy an active, sports oriented lifestyle, or prefer to relax and take in the mountain air, reveling in the sights and sounds of alpine meadows filled with wildflowers, singing birds and wildlife.

Our recreation is the best!
The plateaus and mountain forests offer numerous terrains for mountain biking. Rafting enthusiasts have a full range of choices. One favorite is a leisurely three-day trip on the Rio Chama, that offers mild rapids suitable for families with small children. Experienced rafting enthusiasts can take on the challenging Taos Box run on the Rio Grande, with class 3 to 5 rapids.

Trail riding enthusiasts can take anything from an hour ride on Taos Pueblo land to a three-day trek through the Carson National Forest. And for those who want a taste of the old west, you can get off your horse at the end of the day and enjoy a cowboy-themed outdoor dinner with entertainment and all the “fixins.”

The fly fishing is great!
New Mexico’s native cutthroat trout offers the fly fisherman a real challenge. Local guides not only know all the best fishing places, but with years to develop their skills, they are able to help even the experienced angler to improve their technique.

Red rocks abound!
Have you always felt you were part mountain goat? Then climbing is your game, and there are plenty of fantastic opportunities to get a bird’s eye view of red rock panoramas (with expert guides, of course). And if slower ascents are more to your liking, take a hike with a llama! They are happy to carry the heavy stuff, so you can spend your time enjoying the scenery, hiking at a leisurely pace and enjoying gourmet meals at your campsite... something you wouldn’t be doing if you had to carry all the gear yourself!

The eats can't be beat!
And while we’re on the subject of fine foods, et al, how about an early-morning champagne toast while aloft in a hot-air balloon? Northern New Mexico’s high desert provides the perfect updrafts for fantastic ballooning experiences.

Another option is to take a lovely drive along the Rio Grande river road to Velarde, where you can tour one of New Mexico’s award-winning wineries, or enjoy a game of golf that offers one of the most stunning vistas in the Southwest.

History speaks for itself!
And of course, we can’t forget that this area is rich in history. Taos Pueblo is the oldest occupied dwelling in the United States and the biggest tourist attraction in the area. From Northern New Mexico’s rich “Wild West” history to Taos’ place as one of the most important art colonies in the United States, there are abundant opportunities to discover the fascinating history of the area, with museums and art galleries to suit every interest.

And when your day of exploration, play, or relaxation is over, you have a tremendous variety of fine lodging to choose from. Perhaps you will enjoy beautifully restored historic inns on or near the plaza, a vacation home of your own, or even an earthship! Taos and the Enchanted Circle area offer a wide variety of charming and unique bed and breakfast inns, cabins and, of course, RV parks for those who like to bring their homes with them.

Whatever your choice, Northern New Mexico has something to offer everyone. So come visit Taos and Santa Fe, and enjoy the vacation of a lifetime!

Book vacation lodging in Northern New Mexico

Plan your Northern New Mexico adventure

The Museums of Taos, New Mexico: A Taos Unlimited Blog Series, Part 2

This is the second in a series of blog entries about the museums in Taos, New Mexico, and the surrounding area.

Millicent Rogers Museum

Art patron, stunning beauty, talented designer, and heir to the Standard Oil fortune, Millicent Rogers (1902-1953) settled in Taos in 1947. Her distinguished, once-private art collection of more than 5,000 pieces (including turquoise and silver jewelry, hand-woven baskets and textiles, and traditional San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery) remains one of the most important in the country.

Rogers, a fashion icon in her day, was one of the first Americans to appreciate the silver and turquoise artistry of the Native American jewelry makers. Fifteen galleries feature both permanent and temporary exhibitions of the traditional and comtemporary arts of the Native American and Hispanic cultures of the Southwest.

To read about the other museums in Taos, New Mexico, visit the Museums section on Taos Unlimited

The Museums of Taos, New Mexico: A Taos Unlimited Blog Series, Part 1

This will be the first of a series of blog entries about the museums in Taos and the surrounding area.

Kit Carson Home and Museum

In 1826, Christopher "Kit" Carson (1809-1868) arrived in Taos. Kit had run away from an apprenticeship in Missouri to join a wagon train heading west on the Santa Fe Trail. Thus began one of the most exciting careers in the American West.

Because of his remarkable facility for languages, Carson became a translator for a wagon train to Chihuahua. Shortly thereafter, he became a trapper and mountain man, traveling extensively throughout the West.

His real fame grew through serving as scout for the scientific and mapping expeditions of John C. Fremont. From 1854 until 1861, Carson served as an Indian Agent. He then began the final stage of his career as a military officer, first in the Civil War and later in the army campaigns of the Indian Wars.

The Kit Carson Home and Museum (which contains part of the original house Kit Carson bought in 1843 for his bride, Maria Josefa Jaramillo) is filled with frontier artifacts and exhibits illustrating Carson's life, as well as other items representing the Native American and Hispanic cultures in Northern New Mexico. It the house remained the couple’s permanent home until their deaths in 1868.

Visit the Taos, New Mexico Museums section on Taos Unlimited