Gordon William Lillie (1860–1942), known as Pawnee Bill, was a renowned American showman famous for his Wild West shows and his partnership with Buffalo Bill Cody. Born in Bloomington, Illinois, Lillie developed a love for the West after his family moved to Kansas. At 19, he worked at the Pawnee Indian agency, which led to his involvement with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show as an interpreter, earning him the nickname Pawnee Bill.
In 1886, Lillie married May Manning, who became the star of their own show, “Pawnee Bill’s Historic Wild West,” where she performed as a champion horseback shooter. Although their first season was a financial disaster, they reorganized into a successful operation. The show featured a diverse cast, including Mexican cowboys, Pawnee, and international performers, and eventually became “Pawnee Bill’s Great Far East Show.”
In 1908, Pawnee Bill and Buffalo Bill combined their shows into the “Two Bills” show, but it struggled financially and was eventually foreclosed. Lillie then focused on managing his buffalo ranch in Oklahoma, where he and May lived and operated various business ventures.
In 1936, tragedy struck when May died in a car accident, and Pawnee Bill never fully recovered. He passed away in 1942 at his home in Pawnee, Oklahoma. His legacy lives on through the Pawnee Bill Ranch, which continues to operate as a museum, and an annual memorial rodeo and Wild West Show, celebrating his contributions to American entertainment and Western heritage.
