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Pawhuska, Oklahoma

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1909 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Pawhuska census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74056. It stands on Clear Creek. The Survey maps it on the Pawhuska quadrangle. 2,984 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 820 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Pawhuska within Osage County

On record in Pawhuska

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 8 records

Population over time

2 figures

Pawhuska fell from 3,584 to 2,984 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20103,584
20202,984-600 (-17%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 14 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

6 photographs, 2020

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
Scott Trotter describes himself as a "town promoter," riding about on a small scooter, in Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Scott Trotter describes himself as a "town promoter," riding about on a small scooter, in Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
Wood carving of an American Indian outside the Osage Trading Company, a store built on the model of an old trading post in Pawhuska, a small city in Osage County, Oklahoma
Wood carving of an American Indian outside the Osage Trading Company, a store built on the model of an old trading post in Pawhuska, a small city in Osage County, Oklahoma
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
Cowboy wood carving outside the Osage Trading Company, a store built on the model of an old trading post in Pawhuska, a small city in Osage County, Oklahoma
Cowboy wood carving outside the Osage Trading Company, a store built on the model of an old trading post in Pawhuska, a small city in Osage County, Oklahoma
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Pawhuska, a small city on the Osage Indian Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma, is by no means a sleepy, unimaginative place, as this image attests
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

177 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 177 fires within 5 miles of Pawhuska between 2001 and 2020, burning about 13,496 acres in total. 9 started naturally. 53 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning57
Arson/incendiarism53
Equipment and vehicle use19
Power generation/transmission/distribution17
Missing data/not specified/undetermined16
Natural9
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Fireworks2
Other causes1
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2017Debris and open burning1.0 acresOsage AgencyBLAIR
22 September 2002Power generation/transmission/distribution15 acresOsage AgencyWOODSWF
13 September 2013Debris and open burning58 acresOsage AgencyMATTINGLY
10 September 2012Equipment and vehicle use3.5 acresOsage AgencyBLACK COW
9 August 2008Other causesunder an acreOsage AgencyLIVING GOD
6 August 2006Equipment and vehicle use5.0 acresOsage AgencyDONKEY
31 August 2012Power generation/transmission/distribution3.3 acresOsage AgencyBELLCO
30 August 2012Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresOsage AgencyCHIEF

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Osage County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Pawhuska: 4 past producers, 3 producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unknown Shale PitClayPast Producer
Baker Stone Co Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Baker Stone Co Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Pawhuska Quarry & MillStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Osage County

Storms near this place

60 of 130 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pawhuska in 130 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 73 hail, 46 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 5 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 1996Thunderstorm WindPawhuska1 hurt, $8,000no account filed
May 1999Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$125,000Roofs were blown off houses, windows were knocked out of buildings, four trailers were turned over, porches were knocked off houses, and numerous trees were blown down. Some of the worst damage occurred in Indian Camp.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$125,000no account filed
April 2016Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$100,000Strong thunderstorm wind damaged an oil derrick, damaged several homes, uprooted trees, and blew down power poles west and northwest of Pawhuska.
May 2019Flash FloodPawhuska$50,000Several streets were flooded in and around town, including Lynn Avenue that had about four feet of water flowing over it. A fire department was flooded.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$50,000Strong thunderstorm wind severely damaged a home and blew down large trees.
May 2008HailPawhuska$50,000no account filed
May 2017HailPawhuska$25,000no account filed
April 2016HailPawhuska$25,000no account filed
July 1999Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$20,000Winds damaged several boat docks at the second cove by Bluestem Lake. Trees were down along the shoreline. Roof damage and other damage were also evident.
May 2016HailPawhuska$20,000no account filed
May 2001Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$15,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew the roof off a house.
May 2000Flash FloodPawhuska$12,000Heavy rains caused several roads in and around Pawhuska to be flooded. A few cars were stalled in the high water.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$10,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees.
May 2017HailPawhuska$10,000no account filed
March 2016HailPawhuska$10,000no account filed
May 2008Tornado (EF0)Pawhuska$5,000A tornado damaged trees and blew down power lines. Several storm chasers observed this tornado.
May 2016HailPawhuska$5,000no account filed
April 2011HailPawhuska$5,000no account filed
March 2000Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$3,000Thunderstorm winds knocked down a transmission line linking several substations and created power outages in Pawhuska, Barnsdall, Shidler and Avant.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind damaged a roof, and blew down power lines.
September 1995Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$2,000,,,,,,,,Hail (0.88)
May 2000HailPawhuska$1,000Golfball size hail fell at Osage Hills State Park damaging a camper.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$100Tree limbs were blown down in the Osage Hills State Park.
May 1996Thunderstorm WindPawhuska$100no account filed
May 2021Flash FloodPawhuska-Several roads were reported flooded on the east side of Pawhuska.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-The RAWS site east of Pawhuska measured 58 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped numerous large tree limbs.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were measured by storm chasers on east side of Pawhuska, near the Osage Casino.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were estimated east southeast of Pawhuska.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured to 62 mph.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured to 68 mph.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-A tree was uprooted by strong thunderstorm wind.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
May 2010Tornado (EF0)Pawhuska-Several storm chasers reported a tornado over open country.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs at Osage Hills State Park.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-A trained spotter reported a 70 mile an hour wind gust from a thunderstorm.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 miles an hour was reported by amateur radio.
May 2008Tornado (EF0)Pawhuska-A brief tornado developed over open country just north of town. This tornado was witnessed by several sources including a deputy with the Osage County Sheriff's Office.
June 2007Flash FloodPawhuska-Heavy thunderstorm rains caused flooding of rural roads across the northwestern part of Osage county. Highway 60 was also closed just north of Pawhuska.
July 2007Flash FloodPawhuska-Heavy rains caused flooding of roads just south of the Tall Grass Praire.
April 2007Tornado (EF0)Pawhuska-A storm chaser for KOTV reported a tornado over open country.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.
May 2001Tornado (F0)Pawhuska-A F0 tornado briefly touched down one mile south of Pawhuska. The tornado was video taped by a storm chaser. No damage was observed.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-In addition, the Oklahoma mesonet site 2 S Wynona measured a wind gust of 51 miles an hour at 1145 PM CDT.
September 1995HailPawhuska-,,,,,,,,Hail (0.88)
September 1995Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-,,,,,,,,Hail (0.88)
July 1994HailPawhuska-Severe thunderstorms developed in Osage County of northeast Oklahoma during the late afternoon and early evening of July 20th. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 to 70 mph at Pawhuska and Pershing, and quarter-size hail fell near Tallant. Nickel to quarter-size hail fell at Tallant, and dime-size hail fell at Pawhuska, 5 miles north of Pawhuska, and 5 miles west of Grainola.
July 1994HailPawhuska-Severe thunderstorms developed in Osage County of northeast Oklahoma during the late afternoon and early evening of July 20th. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 to 70 mph at Pawhuska and Pershing, and quarter-size hail fell near Tallant. Nickel to quarter-size hail fell at Tallant, and dime-size hail fell at Pawhuska, 5 miles north of Pawhuska, and 5 miles west of Grainola.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindPawhuska-Severe thunderstorms developed in Osage County of northeast Oklahoma during the late afternoon and early evening of July 20th. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 to 70 mph at Pawhuska and Pershing, and quarter-size hail fell near Tallant. Nickel to quarter-size hail fell at Tallant, and dime-size hail fell at Pawhuska, 5 miles north of Pawhuska, and 5 miles west of Grainola.
April 2026HailPawhuska-no account filed
April 2026HailPawhuska-no account filed
August 2024HailPawhuska-no account filed
August 2019HailPawhuska-no account filed
May 2017HailPawhuska-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Osage County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Nelagoney5.8 miles14
Pershing6.1 miles13
Opah6.2 miles13
Kiheki6.4 miles14
Myers6.8 miles12
Wynona8.4 miles13
Tallant9.2 miles13
Nanos9.6 miles13

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on PawhuskaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1150740The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1096476. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.