Osage Nation New Owners of Bluestem Ranch

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Raoul Duke

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PAWHUSKA — The Osage Nation is poised to close on the purchase of the 43,000-acre Bluestem Ranch from media magnate and conservationist Ted Turner.

Comprised of cross timbers and tallgrass prairie, the Bluestem Ranch “is managed for bison grazing, which has proven to be very conducive to quality wildlife management. Bluestem primary species are whitetail deer, wild turkey and bobwhite quail. Waterfowl hunting and fishing are also popular,” says a statement from Turner Enterprises Inc.
Turner purchased the ranch in 2001.

In a Jan. 21 letter to Turner, Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear wrote, “These plains are part of the Osage People’s original homelands. … At last, we have the ability and opportunity to once again own this much land in one place.”

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state/osage-nation-set-to-buy-ted-turner-owned-bluestem-ranch/article_6be16608-a1e3-502e-a9c7-c77218db023e.html

The tribe has also set aside money to buy the ranch’s bison, though that is not included in the purchase, Native News Online said.

The Osage intend to “keep the majority of this property as a working bison ranch” and use it “to connect our children and youth to nature,” Standing Bear wrote in the letter to Turner, outlining the tribe’s plans for the land.

“We can think of no better learning environment for our children than these lands,” he wrote. “Land is central to the culture, traditions and history of the Osage people. This land is perfectly centered between our traditional towns of Wa-hock-o-li (Pawhuska), Zon-zo-lin (Hominy) and Pah-su-li (Grayhorse). The Osage Nation will hold this property as a contiguous land base at the heart of the Osage Nation.”

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/02/05/retrieving-homelands-osage-nation-wins-bid-ted-turners-43000-acre-bluestem-ranch-163322
 

Parks 788

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Where does the Osage Nation get that kind of coin? Casinos? Or was it sold cheap and Uncle Ted gets a big tax break?

Eta: one link said it was worth more than $3.3M. Ummmmm, I'd say that land is worth probably 10-12 times that on the open market.
 

CorpsVet

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Osage nation has had major "coin" since the old oil days. Their land sits on huge oil fields. Of course they also now have casinos, so then there's that.
 

Surveyor1653

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At just $2k/acre, that's an $86,000,000 value for those not keeping track at home...so, tax break.

If they got if for $3.3M, this purch came in at just under $77/acre. I'd club a baby seal with a kitten to get land at that price.
 

nofearfactor

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I'm an Osage member and no it isn't being purchased with casino money. The casino money goes right back in to the operation of it.

(In 1905 the tribe bought our own reservation with our own money, money that had came from being moved from Missouri, even though Oklahoma had always been traditional Osage hunting grounds. In a treaty, white settlers were allowed to buy parcels and move onto the land in exchange for the tribe receiving all mineral rights in all of Osage county, the largest county in OK. That deal actually held up the land run and statehood until it was settled. We have been receiving proceeds from the mineral estate ever since).

My cousin donated a 7000 acre ranch to the tribe last year before his death.

The goal is for the tribe to return as much of our original land back into trust as is possible.

My mother lives on my grandfather's family allotment in Osage county. It will go to us kids when she is passed and we plan to donate it at that point.

(Tapatalk)- on the road.
 

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