The preserve is located at the southern end of the Flint Hills, also known as the Osage Hills.
The rocky, rolling prairie stretches from northern Kansas into Oklahoma.
 Exposed limestone formations make cultivation difficult, and thus the Flint Hills have survived much as they were when they were a hunting ground for area tribes such as the Wichita, Osage, and Kaw.
 The region is called “The Osage” by Oklahomans, referring to the name of the Native American tribe that occupied this territory and to the county named for them.
Pilots call The Osage the “Black Hole” when flying over it at night because it is so lightly populated.

Prior to its purchase by the Nature Conservancy in 1989, much of the preserve was within the boundaries of the Barnard Ranch; it had been part of the Chapman-Barnard ranch of 100,000 acres (400 km²).
The foreman of the Chapman-Barnard ranch, Ben Johnson, Sr.
was a rodeo champion.
His son, also a rodeo champion, was Ben Johnson, Jr., an actor who appeared in more than 300 movies and won an Oscar for his role in The Last Picture Show.

The preserve is bisected by the well-timbered Salt Creek and its tributaries.
 The eastern portion of the preserve is in the Cross Timbers, a north-south running belt of tangled oak forests that were a major impediment to early travelers heading west.
About 10 percent of the preserve is forested and the remainder is tallgrass prairie; the grasses of several species here can grow 10 feet (3 m) tall.

The tallgrass prairie owes its existence to fire, whether caused by lightning or manmade.
 Without fire, the prairie quickly becomes brushland.
 The Native Americans were aware of this and burned the prairie regularly to nurture new growth of succulent grasses and to kill intrusive trees and shrubs.
 The Nature Conservancy has continued this practice with a process called “patch burning,” in which about one-third of the prairie is burned each year.
This process has proven beneficial not only in providing grazing for bison and cattle, but also for the habitat of the threatened greater prairie chickens, which also inhabit the preserve in small numbers.

Bison are the most prominent attraction of the preserve.
In 1993, Oklahoma oilman Kenneth Adams donated 300 bison to the preserve.
By 2000, the herd had increased to 1,200.
The herd now numbers more than 2,500 and grazes 21,000 acres (85 km²) of mostly open range.
Bison are rounded up each fall and the excess numbers sold.
 Cattle are grazed on 11,000 acres (45 km²).
 The preserve supports 755 plant species, many unique to the tallgrass prairie, and more than 300 bird species.
 Forest trees include several species of oak, cottonwoods, ash, red cedar, elm, sycamore, and others.

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is on what used to be the Osage Indian Reservation.
When forced to agree to household allotments of communal land, the Osage  retained sub-surface mineral rights on all their former lands.
Members of the nation have had what are known as headrights to a portion of this communal resource and are paid a portion of leasing revenues for mineral production.
In the early 20th century, the discovery of petroleum on their land made the Osage the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s and 1930s.
But they were subject to harassment, manipulation, fraud and murder in what was known as a 'Reign of Terror' as whites tried to gain control of family members' headrights.
While oil production has declined, there are still more than 100 producing oil wells on the preserve, among which the bison graze.

The preserve is home to numerous interesting invertebrates species.
In addition to the many species of butterflies and moths that feed and host on the flowering plant biodiversity found there, the prairie mole cricket (Gryllotalpa major) is a rare insect species found on the preserve.
Males congregate in leks in large numbers in the spring months (April–May) to produce loud choruses from calling burrows to attract flying females.
In the summer months, the preserve serves as habitat for the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophor
The preserve is located at the southern end of the Flint Hills, also known as the Osage Hills. The rocky, rolling prairie stretches from northern Kansas into Oklahoma.  Exposed limestone formations make cultivation difficult, and thus the Flint Hills have survived much as they were when they were a hunting ground for area tribes such as the Wichita, Osage, and Kaw.  The region is called “The Osage” by Oklahomans, referring to the name of the Native American tribe that occupied this territory and to the county named for them. Pilots call The Osage the “Black Hole” when flying over it at night because it is so lightly populated.
Prior to its purchase by the Nature Conservancy in 1989, much of the preserve was within the boundaries of the Barnard Ranch; it had been part of the Chapman-Barnard ranch of 100,000 acres (400 km²). The foreman of the Chapman-Barnard ranch, Ben Johnson, Sr. was a rodeo champion. His son, also a rodeo champion, was Ben Johnson, Jr., an actor who appeared in more than 300 movies and won an Oscar for his role in The Last Picture Show.
The preserve is bisected by the well-timbered Salt Creek and its tributaries.  The eastern portion of the preserve is in the Cross Timbers, a north-south running belt of tangled oak forests that were a major impediment to early travelers heading west. About 10 percent of the preserve is forested and the remainder is tallgrass prairie; the grasses of several species here can grow 10 feet (3 m) tall.
The tallgrass prairie owes its existence to fire, whether caused by lightning or manmade.  Without fire, the prairie quickly becomes brushland.  The Native Americans were aware of this and burned the prairie regularly to nurture new growth of succulent grasses and to kill intrusive trees and shrubs.  The Nature Conservancy has continued this practice with a process called “patch burning,” in which about one-third of the prairie is burned each year. This process has proven beneficial not only in providing grazing for bison and cattle, but also for the habitat of the threatened greater prairie chickens, which also inhabit the preserve in small numbers.
Bison are the most prominent attraction of the preserve. In 1993, Oklahoma oilman Kenneth Adams donated 300 bison to the preserve. By 2000, the herd had increased to 1,200. The herd now numbers more than 2,500 and grazes 21,000 acres (85 km²) of mostly open range. Bison are rounded up each fall and the excess numbers sold.  Cattle are grazed on 11,000 acres (45 km²).  The preserve supports 755 plant species, many unique to the tallgrass prairie, and more than 300 bird species.  Forest trees include several species of oak, cottonwoods, ash, red cedar, elm, sycamore, and others.
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is on what used to be the Osage Indian Reservation. When forced to agree to household allotments of communal land, the Osage  retained sub-surface mineral rights on all their former lands. Members of the nation have had what are known as headrights to a portion of this communal resource and are paid a portion of leasing revenues for mineral production. In the early 20th century, the discovery of petroleum on their land made the Osage the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s and 1930s. But they were subject to harassment, manipulation, fraud and murder in what was known as a 'Reign of Terror' as whites tried to gain control of family members' headrights. While oil production has declined, there are still more than 100 producing oil wells on the preserve, among which the bison graze.
The preserve is home to numerous interesting invertebrates species. In addition to the many species of butterflies and moths that feed and host on the flowering plant biodiversity found there, the prairie mole cricket (Gryllotalpa major) is a rare insect species found on the preserve. Males congregate in leks in large numbers in the spring months (April–May) to produce loud choruses from calling burrows to attract flying females. In the summer months, the preserve serves as habitat for the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophor
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve