OSAGE COUNTY, Okla. –
Ted Turner, the media mogul best known as the founder of CNN, died at the age of 87. While his land conservation efforts left a lasting impact across the country, his legacy hits close to home in northeast Oklahoma.
A ranch with deep roots
For the Osage Nation, Ted Turner was more than a famous face. He was the man who helped bring their land home.
In 2016, Turner sold his Bluestem Ranch — 43,000 acres of tallgrass prairie in Osage County — back to the tribe for $74 million. The sale came after the Osage Nation had gone from 1.5 million acres to a fraction of that following the federal allotment policies of 1906.
“It became fragmented by federal laws that were trying to get the Indians to assimilate,” said Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear in 2016. “Forget your language, forget your culture, and forget your land.”
A willing and fair negotiator
Turner couldn’t be there to celebrate the sale in person in 2016, but he sent a letter to Chief Standing Bear. In it, he wrote that “land is the only thing that lasts — so we’ve got to treat it well,” and said he knew he was leaving Bluestem in the right hands.
The chief reflected on that today, saying that in the effort to reacquire Osage land, willing and fair negotiators aren’t always easy to find — but Turner was one of them. That brief relationship, he said, resulted in 43,000 acres secured for the Osage people now and for generations to come.
The full text of Turner’s letter to Chief Standing Bear, and the chief’s statement released today, are included below.
Land as a classroom
The tribe has since used the land to raise cattle and bison, for hunting and fishing, and perhaps most importantly, as an outdoor classroom for younger generations.
“They can walk on it, move on it, learn on it,” said Eddy Red Eagle, Jr. of the Osage Nation in 2016.
A 2022 map from the Osage County assessor’s office shows the largest landowners in the county today include members of the Drummond family, the Nature Conservancy, a business arm of the Mormon Church, and now the Osage Nation.
Turner Enterprises did not release how Ted Turner died, but said he died peacefully and was surrounded by family.
Ted Turner’s letter to Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear (2016)
“Dear Chief Standing Bear,
I want to express my sincere apologies for missing today’s festivities, as this marks a very big occasion for me, Turner Enterprises and the Osage Nation; however, I can assure you that I’m there in spirit!
Bluestem Ranch, like all of my properties, has been very special to me. And although it was time to let it go, it was my responsibility to find an owner who not only realized how special the Ranch is, but who would treat it with care. As I often say, “land is the only thing that lasts,” so we’ve got to treat it well. I know that I’m leaving Bluestem in the right hands, and I am grateful for the relationship we’ve been able to build with the Osage Nation.
Thank you to all in attendance, and I wish the Osage Nation the best of luck with its wonderful new property, Bluestem Ranch!
Sincerely, Ted Turner”
Statement from Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear (2026)
“In our ongoing effort to reacquire our land, we are not always met with willing and fair negotiators. As you can see in this letter, Ted Turner expressed genuine support for the ranch returning to the Osage Nation. Though our relationship was brief, it resulted in 43,000 acres of land secured for Osages now and for generations to come.”
