The Dublin Citizen (Dublin, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 28, 2001 Page: 18 of 32
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Hometown
Spotlight
Where
THE
Buffalo
Roam .
The Tallgrass Prairie
Comes Back to Life
More than 1,200 buffalo now graze the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, shown here in early spring.
Once, it stretched like a seamless
carpet across 14 states—a sea of six-foot high grasses
with colorful names covering the land as herds of buffa-
lo roamed freely over its vast domain.
Less than one-tenth of what used to be tallgrass
prairie remains today. Just outside Pawhuska, Okla.,
(pop. 3,825) however, the Nature Conservancy is bring-
ing both bluestem and buffalo back to life on the
38,(XX)-acre Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.
Indiangrass and switchgrass—in addition to
bluestem—crown the rejuvenated prairie here, as
eagles soar overhead and prairie chickens hide nests of
eggs in its thick cover.
The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to re-create a func-
tioning tallgrass prairie began in 1989, when the con-
servation group purchased the old Chapman-Bamard
ranch 17 miles north of Pawhuska. As the site of one of
the largest cattle operations in northeast Oklahoma, the
historic Osage County cattle ranch had played a key role
in Pawhuska’s development as a ranching center.
Returning its land “to seed" was something many resi-
dents initially had difficulty understanding.
Ann Whirehom was one. Her grandfather served as
manager of the Chapman-Bamard operation for 20
years. Her uncle, Academy Award-winning actor Ben
Volunteer! restored the Constantine Community Center, now one of Pawhuska’s jewels.
Johnson, was bom on the ranch and first worked as a
cowhand there at the age of 11.
“In the beginning, ranchers around here were a
little skeptical about the preserve,” Ann recalls.
“They wanted to make sure the conservancy would
take care of the land.”
In fact, the conservancy has
proved itself a good neighbor
and trustworthy landlord.
During the last decade, visitors
from all over the world have
traveled through Pawhuska to
get a glimpse of one of the last
remaining tallgrass prairies—
and the more than 1,200 buf-
falo that five there.
For all its majestic beauty
and historic value, the restored
prairie is only one thing draw-
Eileen Monger has worked for the last 15 years to
help revive one of Pawhuska’s local landmarks: the
Constantine Community Center. Built in the 1880s,
the two-story stone jewel of a building was first an ele-
gant hotel and then an even more elegant opera house
before falling into disre-
pair. Now, through the
efforts of volunteers, the
center hosts everything
from wedding receptions
to an exhibits to concerts.
That kind of restoration
story appears to be more
and more common in
Pawhuska these days. The
town has one new down-
town park and plans to
build another. Local (and
internationally renowned)
ing visitors to Pawhuska. The 0*«ge Indian! modeled for these windows. artist John Free is currently
town is also rich in frontier history. The tribal head-
quarters of the Osage Nation is located here, and the
first Boy Scouts of America troop was organized here.
Pawhuska has 86 downtown buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, including one
of the world’s most unusual
Catholic churches—Immaculate
Conception. Known locally as
the Cathedral of the Osage, the
beautiful stained-glass windows
are rare for their depictions of
American Indians. In 1919, the
Vatican granted the parish spe-
cial permission for living mem-
bers of Pawhuska’s Osage tribe
to model fix the scenes.
O’Dell Monger, who oper-
ates an auto parts store on Main
Street, grew up in Pawhuska,
met his wife, Eileen, in college
at nearby Stillwater, and
brought his new bride “back
home” 50 years ago.
sculpting a bronze statue of a cowboy to adorn, the steps
of City Hall. The sculpture is a companion public art
piece for his “Counting Coup” bronze of an American
Indian, which stands in a downtown Pawhuska park.
The cathedral, the sculptures, and the restored
buildings all evoke the echoes of a past Pawhuska
still treasures.
Or perhaps, it’s just die sound of thundering hooves
running wild across the tallgrass prairie. ^
Morgant Domaus is a frequent contributor to American
Profile.
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Thetford, Caris. The Dublin Citizen (Dublin, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 28, 2001, newspaper, June 28, 2001; Dublin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth770356/m1/18/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dublin Public Library.