District Trivia Question and Answer:
Question: Major Gordon Lillie, a 1879 graduate of BHS, was also known as "Pawnee Bill." After graduating from BHS, Lillie ran away from home to the Indian Territory, where he later worked for Buffalo Bill. He eventually left Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to run his own show, known worldwide as "Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show." The show operated from 1888 to 1913 and gained success throughout Europe and the U.S. His former ranch is now known as the "Pawnee Bill Ranch site" and is operated as a museum by the State of Oklahoma.

Which District 87 elementary/primary school did "Pawnee Bill" attend?

Answer:
a) Sheridan School (formerly known as the "Number 6 School.")
b) Bent School (formerly known as the "Number 5 School" and later, the "Hawthorne School.")
c) Irving School (formerly known as the "Number 3 School.")
d) Edwards School (formerly known as the "Number 2 School.")

Irving School. The original Irving School was founded in 1870 at a cost of $29,000.

After he left Bloomington, Gordon Lillie's first experiences were among the Indians. After learning their language - and with the help of Bloomingtonians Hon. David Davis (a Supreme Court Judge at the time) and Adlai Stevenson I (Vice President at the time) - he was appointed as an Interpreter and Secretary to the U.S. Indian Agent, Major E.H. Bowman. When Buffalo Bill started his "Wild West Show," it was Lillie who "furnished" him with Indians for the show. However, Lillie deserves his place in history for his work in opening and developing the Indian Territory, or what is now Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Nebraska. When Lillie retired from show business, he did all in his power to save the buffaloes from extinction. --Source: History of Irving School: Written and Compiled for the Centennial Year, 1957 by Ruby M. Hundley, School Librarian.

In the glory days of Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show, they carried a cast and crew of 645 people, over 400 horses and steers, a herd of 20 buffalo, the world's largest power plant or generator, and a 21 foot oven. All of this was loaded on a specially designed train.

In the Irving Berlin musical, Annie Get Your Gun (another Irving reference), the character Pawnee Bill is a supporting cast member. Annie Oakley's love interest, Frank, becomes threatened by her sharpshooting skills and leaves Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to join Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show. Their problems find a near resolution when the two Wild West Shows plan to merge into a single outfit, but there is still a good deal of competition between and Frank and Annie - as described in the song, "Anything You Can Do."

links:

Pawnee Bill Ranch Official site

The History of Pawnee Bill's wife, May Lillie - a sharpshooting Quaker from Philadelphia

Book on Pawnee Bill

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