Museum opens in 'Killers of the Flower Moon' filming location, celebrates Fairfax history

For "Killers of the Flower Moon" moviegoers who were especially creeped out watching the sinister Drs. Shoun scheming to kill Osage Nation citizens right in their clean and antiseptic office, it might be more than just expert filmmaking that gave them that feeling.

"They filmed all that in their actual offices," confirmed Danette Daniels, an Osage Nation tribal member who lives in Fairfax.

"They painted the walls the colors they would be in the 1920s. Then, somebody had painted over the woodwork, and so they had somebody come in and meticulously do that woodwork, not with varnish but with paint to make it look like the original woodwork. ... It took hours and hours and hours for them to do that."

In 2020, the Osage County businesswoman bought the former First State Bank building, 301 N Main in downtown Fairfax, where Dr. James Shoun (played by Steve Witting in the movie) and Dr. David Shoun (played by Steve Routman) practiced on the second floor in the 1920s.

"They poisoned a lot of Osages ... and then they moved to Colorado and practiced the rest of their lives. They got away scot-free with murders," Daniels said.

"But I'm taking back the building now ... and I'm moving forward with a lot of joy and happiness about being in Fairfax."

After Martin Scorsese and his team finished filming in it, Daniels spent 14 months renovating the stately red-brick building, which she is preparing to open to the public as the Fairfax Osage Reservation Museum.

Built in 1905 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building also will house her popular Water Bird Gallery, which she has been busily moving from downtown Pawhuska to her hometown.

Just a week after "Killers of the Flower Moon" opened in theaters around the globe, Daniels will host a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28 in one of the real-life places depicted in the epic fact-based film. The festivities will include a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m., refreshments and appearances by special guests throughout the day.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' expected to boost tourism in Osage County

The biggest movie ever made in Oklahoma, "Killers of the Flower Moon" debuted in theaters worldwide Oct. 20, garnering $44 million globally in its opening weekend.

Adapted from David Grann's nonfiction bestseller “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI," Scorsese's drama chronicles the serial murders of Osage Nation citizens in 1920s Oklahoma, after an oil boom made them the wealthiest people in the world per capita. The killings became known as the "Reign of Terror" and led to an investigation by the precursor to the FBI.   

The movie focuses on Mollie Kyle Burkhart (Lily Gladstone, who is NiMíiPuu, or Nez Perce, and Siksikaitsitapi, or Blackfeet) who lived on the tribal settlement of Gray Horse, near Fairfax. During the Reign of Terror, Mollie and her family were marked for death in a scheme to swindle away their oil money, which was masterminded by ruthless local rancher William K. Hale (Oscar winner Robert De Niro).

An executive producer on the film, Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Mollie's treacherous husband, Ernest Burkhart, a shiftless World War I veteran caught between his love for his wife and the powerful influence of Hale, his uncle.

Since the publication of Grann's book in 2017, direct visitor spending in Osage County jumped from $88.6 million to $161.3 million in 2021, according to the Oklahoma Tourism department. Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear told The Oklahoman that he expects the release of Scorsese's $200 million movie to bring even more tourists to Osage County.

"We're working with Lt. Gov. Pinnell and the state tourism office, trying to bring some of the economy benefits to the town of Fairfax, which has not had much going for economic development for some years," Standing Bear said. "It's a challenge, but we're all working together to do it."

'It would be nice to see Fairfax grow again,' says Osage businesswoman

Scorsese filmed "Killers of the Flower Moon" over 99 days in 2021 in many of the actual communities throughout the Osage Nation where the movie's historical events occurred, including Fairfax, Pawhuska, Bartlesville and Tulsa. The movie actually brought in more background performers (about 1,200) than there are current residents of Fairfax (about 1,100).

Although many of the events in the movie take place in Fairfax, not as much filming happened in the small town. Instead, the larger Pawhuska, already set to get a makeover to make it look like the 1920s, stood in for Fairfax for much of the filming.

"Not a lot of attention has been given to Fairfax, although David Grann's book is really centered around Fairfax and Gray Horse," Daniels said. "Bartlesville benefited greatly, because Apple (Studios) had their offices there and rented apartments and buildings. ... Pawhuska did, too. But not so much in Fairfax, and it would be nice to see Fairfax grow again."

A fourth-generation Fairfax resident, Daniels said she remembers when it was still a bustling town, although perhaps not as rowdy as the boomtown depicted in "Killers of the Flower Moon."

"I went to college, I got a master's degree and I worked in Oklahoma City and Stillwater and other places. But I moved back 17 years ago, because my dad, who's pureblood Osage, just turned 90 in September," she said. "When I was growing up, there were lots of businesses, and it was a vibrant community. So, I hope to see it come back ... because this is truly home."

Daniels isn't the only Fairfax resident working to seize the moment created by "Killers of the Flower Moon." Joe and Carol Conner have been spearheading efforts to preserve, restore and renovate the historic Tall Chief Theater. The couple are founding members of the Fairfax Community Foundation, which owns the Tall Chief Theater and manages its fundraising efforts.

Originally built in 1928 by Alex Tall Chief, the father of iconic ballerinas Maria and Marjorie Tallchief, Daniels said it will take about $8 million to refurbish the theater, which includes fixing the roof after it suffered damage in a 2018 tornado.

She said efforts to restore the theater and revitalize Fairfax suffered another tough blow in September, when Joe Conner died.

"That was a tremendous loss to Fairfax, because he was definitely an Osage leader," Daniels said.

Fairfax residents give 'Killers of the Flower Moon' visitors 'something to see'

Although the Tall Chief Theater is a long way from transforming into the performing arts center supporters would like to one day see it become, the Conners have created a "Killers of the Flower Moon Memorial Exhibit" inside the venue to honor the victims.

"People would come to Fairfax in fancy cars with out-of-state tags and were just looking around and walking around. So, he created that exhibit for people to have something to see and something to learn about the Osages, because there's not a whole lot to see right now in Fairfax. It's a lot of dilapidated buildings," Daniels said. "But hopefully that will change soon."

Since tourists are asked not to venture into the cemetery where the victims of the Reign of Terror are buried, Daniels said the community is working to create landmarks like her museum where people can visit without being disrespectful to those who were lost and their families.

"We've had terrible vandalism there before, people cracking out those old dome pictures ... and shooting out those old 1920s pictures. It's just been terrible. There's a lot of racism still today," she said.

"The Osage community, tribal citizens, we don't want tourists going out there. So, we're just trying to create spaces for them to come, to get information, to ask questions, that are appropriate places."

New museum to spotlight Osage culture and 'Killers of the Flower Moon' connection

In May, Daniels hosted the first public sneak peek of her new Fairfax Osage Reservation Museum, or FORM, with Standing Bear in attendance and reporting on his recent trip to France, where he attended the world premiere of "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the Cannes Film Festival.

The new museum will showcase Osage material culture items, including items Daniels leased to Scorsese's team for "Killers of the Flower Moon," like Osage wedding hats and baby boards. Still a work in progress, Daniels said FORM will eventually include an event center and a coffee, sandwich or pastry shop.

She has been working feverishly for the past week to move her Water Bird Gallery, which she opened in 2015 in downtown Pawhuska, into the gift shop space of her hometown historic building in time for the Oct. 28 grand opening. Her gallery sells Native-made goods and art, new and vintage clothing and jewelry, including brooches that are seen in "Killers of the Flower Moon," along with books about the Reign of Terror.

"Then, I have the upstairs where the actual Shoun brothers practiced their evil deeds ... and they were so creepy in the movie," Daniels said, adding that she's been in touch with the production team about possibly obtaining some of the film props from the doctors' office to put on exhibit.

"But all my eggs are going into the Fairfax basket, which I'm pretty excited about."

FAIRFAX OSAGE RESERVATION MUSEUM AND WATER BIRD GALLERY

• Grand opening: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28.

• Regular hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

• Where: 301 N Main in downtown Fairfax.

• Information: https://www.facebook.com/TheWaterBirdGallery

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Museum opens in 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Fairfax, Oklahoma location