The incredible life of Food Network's 'Pioneer Woman' - who owns 433,000 acres and gets paid millions of dollars in government money

The Drummonds' efforts are apparently helping Pawhuska as a whole. According to Thrillist, nearly a dozen new business have opened over the past year or so, and the town's sales-tax revenue has risen 33% across all businesses.

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Source: Thrillist

The Drummonds have also purchased another building next door, for a mysterious separate purpose.

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Source: The Pioneer Woman

The Drummonds are currently in the process of renovating a building to open as an 8-room "boarding house" hotel.

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This summer, the lodge by Drummond Ranch began offering free tours on select days.

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Helping revitalize Pawhuska seems to be a new project for the Drummonds.

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Up to 15,000 customers flock to Pawhuska every day to visit the site, waiting in line for hours, with some arriving as early as 5 a.m. to get into the restaurant.

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Source: Thrillist

Drummond and Ladd opened "The Mercantille" in Pawhuska, Oklahoma in 2016. "The Merc," as it is often called by Drummond and her fans, is a triple threat: bakery, deli, and general store.

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However, Drummonds' aspirations go beyond food media.

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She's written seven books and launched "The Pioneer Woman Magazine" in 2017.

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In 2011, her show "The Pioneer Woman" debuted on the Food Network.

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Drummond has long been known as a savvy businesswoman, telling the New Yorker in 2011 that her blog was a "thriving business."

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Source: The New Yorker

Soon, The Pioneer Woman was one of the most popular blogs on the internet, winning for Best Photography and Best-Designed Weblog at the 2009 Bloggies.

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Source: The New Yorker

Drummond specializes in unfussy comfort food, with dishes that are aimed at feeding a family.

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As time went on, Drummond began to shift into more food photos and recipes — in part because that's what her readers loved.

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Source: The New Yorker

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In early posts, she wasn't aiming to reach many people — just keep her mom updated on the Drummond kids' lives. Her relaxed updates about day-to-day life read like Drummond is telling a story to a new friend, and she quickly amassed loyal followers.

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Source: The New Yorker

Drummond started "The Pioneer Woman" blog in 2006, 11 years after she moved out to the country.

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Source: The New Yorker

In 1995, Drummond married Ladd and moved out to the ranch. It was a rough transition — and one that wasn't helped by the fact that Drummond got pregnant on her honeymoon, and then had three more babies in the next seven years.

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Source: The New Yorker

In fact, Lad was no simple cow poke. The Drummond family is the 23rd largest landholder in the US with 433,000 acres — roughly half the size of the state of Rhode Island. The US government has paid the Drummonds $24 million in rent over the past decade.

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Source: The Land Report

The couple's love for each other has been a constant on "The Pioneer Woman" since the blog's early days — and any photo of the Marlboro Man is sure to provoke comments of "lucky woman" and heart emojis on social media.

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However, her plan to stick to city living fell apart when she met rugged rancher Ladd Drummond, who she calls "Marlboro Man" in her blog.

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Source: The New Yorker

Drummond was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, an affluent suburb, but moved to Los Angeles to study broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California.

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Source: The New Yorker