Osage County, OK
their dialect being much the same.
The name, Osage, is a corruption of the tribal name, Wa-Zha-Zhe, that the Indians used themselves, the meaning and derivation is not clear.
The first recorded note of the Osage was by Marquette in 1673. His writing placed them on the Osage River in present Vernon County, Missouri, where they were still established, nearly 100 years later in 1759.
There is little known about the Osage from this time until the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. Here we find the explorers and French traders marrying into the Osage tribe. Almost from the beginning, trading with the Indians became a lucrative enterprise, for the white man and the spead of trade brought a large number of tribes into contact with the French, Spanish and English. All groups trying to make allies among the Indians.
The Osage signed their first treaty with the United States in 1808, ceding to the Federal Government lands new comprising over half the state of Missouri and northern Arkansas, including their old village located on the Little Osage River.
When the Osage signed the treaty of 1825 at St. Louis, they ceded all their lands to the United States, all of Oklahoma north of the Arkansas and Canadian Rivers, northwestern Arkansas, western Missouri and nearly half of Kansas.
Osage County today is the largest county in Oklahoma. Big Prairie? Imagine the vastness of 37,000 acres of prairie, disturbed only by the thunder of more than 800 bison. This is the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, lying just 17 mile north of Pawhuska. At one time, the American prairie spanned across fourteen states. Now, less than 10% of this original prairie remains, but the prairie surrounding Pawhuska is still flourishing. On the Tallgrass Prairie alone, over 600 plant, 300 bird, and 80 mammal species have been identified. Film teams from around the world have discovered the Tallgrass Prairie as a place of ecological richness and uncommon beauty.
Real Cowboys? Over 250,000 head of cattle thrive on the bluestem grass on over 1,000 ranches around the county. Numerous rodeos and ropings throughout the year give these real American cowboys the chance to showcase their immense skill to the public.
Explore Osage County
Blacksmith House
Built in 1871, this 5 room house with native timbers and 18" thick sandstone walls was the first to be built in Pawhuska. When the Osage were moved from Kansas, Sid Delarue, a Swiss blacksmith, was promised the house if he would come to care for their horses. Listed on the
Pawhuska, OK Pioneer HistoryOsage County Historical Museum
One of the three museums in and around Pawhuska, the Osage County Historical Museum is housed in the historic Santa Fe Depot built in 1922
Pawhuska, OK MuseumsImmaculate Conception Catholic Church
This church is known widely as the "Cathedral of the Osage". Special permission from the Vatican had to be granted to depict living tribal members in the glorious stained glass that was crafted in Munich, Germany in 1919
Pawhuska, OK Historic Churches1904 School House
The 1904 Stone School House was built as a subscription school on the Osage Reservation. The building was also used for early church services, funerals, and plays. Literally saved from the bulldozer in the 1960
Hominy, OK Historic SchoolhousesSuperintendent's Home
Superintendent's Home has been the residence to 30 Osage Agency Superintendents. In 1994, the home was turned into administrative offices for the recently formed Osage National Council. This building is constructed of sandstone quarried in Osage County and is listed on the
Pawhuska, OK Ethnic HeritageOutdoor Sculptures
Cha' Tullis also has created several outstanding metal sculptures of Indians high atop Standpipe Hill in Hominy, as well as a handsome buffalo that stands next to the Gazebo on the Green downtown.
These concrete buffalo graze peacefully in a vacant lot along West Main. Hominy, OK Arts
Bronze Sculptures
"Okie Cowboy"
"I spent much of my boyhood with a cowboy, the genuine article. This bronze sculpture reminds me of him, a man who had time for a boy." - Pawhuska Sculptor, John D. Free
A gift to the city of Pawhuska from Strat and Bobbie Tolson, 2000
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Pawhuska, OK ArtsKennedy Building
The Kennedy Building was once the Citizen's National Bank Building. The building was donated to Osage County in 1976, when National Bank of Commerce moved to it new facility. Osage County renovated the building in 1990
Pawhuska, OK Historic BuildingsSkiatook Museum
At Skiatook Museum, anyone interested in their family tree or Skiatook's past, can view personal papers, documents, and photographs of the pioneer families, events and places, which are recorded here. In 1988
Skiatook, OK MuseumsOsage Round House
Built in 1919 to replace an earlier roundhouse, it is the only surviving community round house in Osage County. Traditionally the focus for village activities, it has been used for dances, gatherings, and meetings and is a symbol of tribal unity and tradition to the Osage Indians.
Hominy, OK Ethnic HeritageTriangle Building
This is a rare, free-standing triangle building. As early buildings in Pawhuska were constructed, a triangle-shaped piece of land was left in the middle of town. It was a park with a two-story bandstand in the center. In 1915, this five-story, "flat-iron"
Pawhuska, OK Historic Buildings