Pawnee in Pawnee County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Local and Regional Sites

— Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024

1. Local and Regional Sites Marker

Inscription.

Local and Regional Sites. . Pawnee Oklahoma Sites. Pawnee Agency and Boarding School Historic District The District occupies approximately 29 acres of the Pawnee Tribal Reserve (total 726 acres.) The historic buildings that were once used as school buildings and dormitories now house tribal offices and the tribal college. , Pawnee Bill Mausoleum at Highland Cemetery Located at Gate 2 at Highland Cemetery, the Pawnee Bill Mausoleum is the final resting place of Gordon W. Lillie, May Lillie, and Billy Lillie. The mausoleum was built in December, 1925, after the death of Billy Lillie. , Pawnee Steam and Gas Engine Grounds Come step back in time at the annual Oklahoma Steam Threshing and Gas Engine Show in Pawnee, and witness yesterday's huge steam traction engines pound across the Prairie. For over 50 years this show has entertained with steam engines, a sawmill, gas engines, blacksmith shop, tractors and more. The Steam Engine Show happens the first weekend in May. , Museum of the Pawnee Nation The Museum of the Pawnee Nation houses a beautiful collection of Pawnee Indian Nation historical artifacts and art by local Pawnee artists. The mission of the museum is to collect, preserve, share, and interpret the history, arts, and culture of the Pawnee. , Dick Tracy Mural Located at the corner of 6th street and Harrison, this mural pays tribute to native cartoon artist Chester Gould. Tulsa artist Ed Melberg created this mural in the style of Gould's work, painting it on a wall in Gould's hometown in 1990. , Pawnee Bathhouse and Lake This beautiful, historic 1939 WPA sandstone rock bathhouse in Pawnee overlooks a two-acre freshwater pool and features a sandy beach, water slide and high dive. The structure is built from hand-cut and coursed native stone and has an intricate system of stone steps and walls leading from the building to a swimming area below. , Forgotten Oklahoma Museum The motto of Forgotten Oklahoma is “to preserve Oklahoma history, one picture at a time.” The 1902 sandstone bank building was once owned by Pawnee Bill. The building now houses the Pawnee Tag Agency and the collection of Forgotten Oklahoma. , Buffalo Theatre The Buffalo Theatre was originally opened as a movie theatre 101 years ago, in 1921. The theatre is still in operation showing films, live entertainment, and selling goods. , Pawnee County Historical Society The Pawnee County Historical Society is home to the Dick Tracy Museum and the Pawnee County Museum. Visit the museum to see the growth of the small town of Pawnee from exploration to settlement and development through education, arts, agriculture, trade, and transportation. Dick Tracy Headquarters gives an exciting and educational peek into the life of Chester Gould, the Pawnee native who created the Dick Tracy comic strip. , Nearby Oklahoma Historical Society Sites. Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School Perry, OK , 28.5 miles The mission of the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of the Cherokee Outlet. The museum complex sits on about five acres and includes four buildings: the museum, a blacksmith shop, a large implement building, and an original one-room schoolhouse. The exhibits are designed to portray life from the opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893 to the 1930s. , White Hair Memorial Hominy, OK , 28 miles The White Hair Memorial learning center is located in the former home of Lillie Morrell Burkhart, an Osage Indian and descendant of Chief Pawhuska (White Hair). A repository for Osage artifacts and documents, the collections include resources such as maps, annuity rolls, oral histories, and photographs. , Fred and Addie Drummond Home Hominy, OK , 32 miles In 1905, Fred and Addie built a late Victorian style home in Hominy. The Drummond family built one of the most successful trading and ranching operations in Oklahoma. , Pioneer Woman Museum Ponca City, OK , 42 miles The Pioneer Woman Museum was dedicated September 16, 1958, just east of the statue. The museum preserves the legacy of women of all races, creeds, and nationalities, who contributed to the development of Oklahoma., OKPOP Tulsa, OK , 56 miles The Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture is located in the Tulsa Arts District. Stories featured in the museum will include movies, radio, television, illustration, literature, theater, wild west shows and Route 66.

Pawnee Oklahoma Sites
Pawnee Agency and Boarding School Historic District
The District occupies approximately 29 acres of the Pawnee Tribal Reserve (total 726 acres.) The historic buildings that were once used as school buildings and dormitories now house tribal offices and the tribal college.

Pawnee Bill Mausoleum at Highland Cemetery
Located at Gate 2 at Highland Cemetery, the Pawnee Bill Mausoleum is the final resting place of Gordon W. Lillie, May Lillie, and Billy Lillie. The mausoleum was built in December, 1925, after the death of Billy Lillie.

Pawnee Steam and Gas Engine Grounds
Come step back in time at the annual Oklahoma Steam Threshing & Gas Engine Show in Pawnee, and witness yesterday's huge steam traction engines pound across the Prairie. For over 50 years this show has entertained with steam engines, a sawmill, gas engines, blacksmith shop, tractors and more. The Steam Engine Show happens the first weekend in May.

Museum of the Pawnee Nation
The Museum of the Pawnee Nation houses a beautiful collection of Pawnee Indian Nation historical artifacts and art by local Pawnee artists. The mission of the museum is to

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

collect, preserve, share, and interpret the history, arts, and culture of the Pawnee.

Dick Tracy Mural
Located at the corner of 6th street and Harrison, this mural pays tribute to native cartoon artist Chester Gould. Tulsa artist Ed Melberg created this mural in the style of Gould's work, painting it on a wall in Gould's hometown in 1990.

Pawnee Bathhouse and Lake
This beautiful, historic 1939 WPA sandstone rock bathhouse in Pawnee overlooks a two-acre freshwater pool and features a sandy beach, water slide and high dive. The structure is built from hand-cut and coursed native stone and has an intricate system of stone steps and walls leading from the building to a swimming area below.

Forgotten Oklahoma Museum
The motto of Forgotten Oklahoma is “to preserve Oklahoma history, one picture at a time.” The 1902 sandstone bank building was once owned by Pawnee Bill. The building now houses the Pawnee Tag Agency and the collection of Forgotten Oklahoma.

Buffalo Theatre
The Buffalo Theatre was originally opened as a movie theatre 101 years ago, in 1921. The theatre is still in operation showing films, live entertainment, and selling goods.

Pawnee County Historical Society
The

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024

2. Local and Regional Sites Marker

Looking east across the parking lot from near the Pawnee Bill Ranch Museum & Gift Shop.

Pawnee County Historical Society is home to the Dick Tracy Museum and the Pawnee County Museum. Visit the museum to see the growth of the small town of Pawnee from exploration to settlement and development through education, arts, agriculture, trade, and transportation. Dick Tracy Headquarters gives an exciting and educational peek into the life of Chester Gould, the Pawnee native who created the Dick Tracy comic strip.

Nearby Oklahoma Historical Society Sites
Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School
Perry, OK — 28.5 miles
The mission of the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of the Cherokee Outlet. The museum complex sits on about five acres and includes four buildings: the museum, a blacksmith shop, a large implement building, and an original one-room schoolhouse. The exhibits are designed to portray life from the opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893 to the 1930s.

White Hair Memorial
Hominy, OK — 28 miles
The White Hair Memorial learning center is located in the former home of Lillie Morrell Burkhart, an Osage Indian and descendant of Chief Pawhuska (White Hair). A repository

Paid Advertisement

for Osage artifacts and documents, the collections include resources such as maps, annuity rolls, oral histories, and photographs.

Fred and Addie Drummond Home
Hominy, OK — 32 miles
In 1905, Fred and Addie built a late Victorian style home in Hominy. The Drummond family built one of the most successful trading and ranching operations in Oklahoma.

Pioneer Woman Museum
Ponca City, OK — 42 miles
The Pioneer Woman Museum was dedicated September 16, 1958, just east of the statue. The museum preserves the legacy of women of all races, creeds, and nationalities, who contributed to the development of Oklahoma.

OKPOP
Tulsa, OK — 56 miles
The Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture is located in the Tulsa Arts District. Stories featured in the museum will include movies, radio, television, illustration, literature, theater, wild west shows and Route 66.

Erected by Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 36° 19.886′ N, 96° 48.956′ W. Marker is in Pawnee, Oklahoma, in Pawnee County. It can be reached from Pawnee Bill Road just east of Harrison Street (U.S. 64), on the right when traveling east. The marker is located on the Pawnee Bill Ranch grounds, near the northeast corner of the Museum and Gift Shop. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1141 Pawnee Bill Road, Pawnee OK 74058, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Tulsa.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Old Entrance Gate (within shouting distance of this marker); The Observation Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); The Blacksmith Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); Earth Lodge (within shouting distance of this marker); The Log Cabin (within shouting distance of this marker); The Carriage House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Goldfish Pond (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pawnee.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 123 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 16, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.