Ree Drummond Made Pawhuska Famous, But Leonardo DiCaprio Is Ready to Tell the Story of Greed and Murder in the Small Oklahoma Town
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- Ree Drummond’s Pioneer Woman blog documents her life in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
- The Pioneer Woman’s home of Pawhuska was the filming location of Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie Killers of the Flower Moon.
- Martin Scorsese’s latest project with DiCaprio is based on a true story.
Ree Drummond made the town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, famous thanks to her Pioneer Woman brand. But soon, the small midwestern town will be the focus of a new film starring Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio that will tell a story of greed and murder that took place a century ago.
Ree Drummond’s ‘Pioneer Woman’ blog documents her life in Pawhuska, Oklahoma
Drummond started blogging back in 2006 under the name The Pioneer Woman to document her daily life as a rancher’s wife and mom of four — now five — in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. It wasn’t long before Drummond was getting millions of views every month. And she turned that blog’s success into a Pioneer Woman brand that features a Food Network TV show, cookbooks, and a line of cookware.
The blogger and TV personality bought a 100-year-old building in downtown Pawhuska in 2012. She renovated the property and turned it into a restaurant and retail store known as The Mercantile. Drummond also owns a bed and breakfast in town called The Boarding House, a pizzeria called P-Town Pizza, and an ice cream and candy shop known as Charlie’s Sweet Shop.
The Food Network star is married to a fourth-generation rancher
Drummond graduated from the University of Southern California, and she had plans to go to law school in Chicago. But all of that changed when she met Ladd Drummond, a fourth-generation rancher who’s a member of a prominent cattle ranching family in Oklahoma’s Osage County.
That county has a history that includes a tale of murder and mayhem that took place in the 1920s after oil deposits were found on the land of the Osage Indian Nation. That oil made members of the Osage tribe extremely wealthy. It also made them targets.
Ree Drummond’s home of Pawhuska was the filming location of Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
In the spring of 2021, Pawhuska wasn’t just a travel destination for fans of the Pioneer Woman. It was also the filming location for Leonardo DiCaprio’s new movie Killers of the Flower Moon — his latest collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.
The Apple-backed western tells the story of a string of killings in Osage County that left numerous members of the Osage Indian Nation dead. The murders didn’t take place in Pawhuska. But, the trial related to the case did happen there. This is why the small Oklahoma town became a Hollywood movie set this past spring.
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is based on a true story
In the film, DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, the nephew of a powerful local rancher played by Robert De Niro. The movie is based on a non-fiction best-seller written by David Grann — Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. The book tracks the investigation of a number of murders that appeared to be targeting the Osage Nation. But, among the more than two dozen people that turned up dead, the victims also included a well-known oilman.
“We are thrilled to finally start production on Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma,” Scorsese said in April after the pandemic delayed shooting for one year, per Indiewire. “To be able to tell this story on the land where these events took place is incredibly important and critical to allowing us to portray an accurate depiction of the time and people.”
Will Ree Drummond or her businesses show up in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’?
Scorsese says he’s grateful to the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and the Osage Nation for assisting with the $200 million shoot. Which is thought to be the biggest film production in the state’s history.
The director says he used Osage consultants and cultural advisors. He also worked with a local cast and crew to “bring the story to life on screen and immortalize a time in American history that should be forgotten.”
Just because they used locals as extras, that doesn’t mean Drummond will show up in the background of a scene. Pioneer Woman fans shouldn’t expect to see any of her businesses show up either. According to The Oklahoman, the film crew built building facades in the heart of Pawhuska. And covered the road in dirt to recreate the look of the town in the 1920s.
Killers of the Flower Moon is expected to be released in 2022.
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