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Pawnee, Oklahoma

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1930 and the latest in 1990. It stands in the Pawnee census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74058. It stands on Skedee Creek. The Survey maps it on the Pawnee quadrangle. 1,936 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 869 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Pawnee within Pawnee County

On record in Pawnee

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 9 records

Population over time

2 figures

Pawnee fell from 2,196 to 1,936 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
20102,196
20201,936-260 (-12%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 11 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

8 of 26 photographs shown, 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.

A stone structure from which one gets a good view of the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum in Pawnee, the seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, much of which is also part of the overlapping Pawnee Nation of American Indians
A stone structure from which one gets a good view of the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum in Pawnee, the seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, much of which is also part of the overlapping Pawnee Nation of American Indians
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
The exit side of the gateway to Pawnee Bill's Ranch in Pawnee, a small city in north-central Oklahoma named for the Pawnee people, was one of the American Indian tribes forcefully removed and marched, mostly on foot, from eastern states to what was called "Indian Territory" on the windy midwest plains in the 1870s
The exit side of the gateway to Pawnee Bill's Ranch in Pawnee, a small city in north-central Oklahoma named for the Pawnee people, was one of the American Indian tribes forcefully removed and marched, mostly on foot, from eastern states to what was called "Indian Territory" on the windy midwest plains in the 1870s
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
The Pawnee Grade School in Pawnee, the seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, much of which is also part of the overlapping Pawnee Nation of American Indians, whose people were among thousands of American Indians forcibly removed from eastern lands and relocated to what was called the "Indian Nation" in the 1800s
The Pawnee Grade School in Pawnee, the seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, much of which is also part of the overlapping Pawnee Nation of American Indians, whose people were among thousands of American Indians forcibly removed from eastern lands and relocated to what was called the "Indian Nation" in the 1800s
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
One of the remaining buildings of the Pawnee Agency and Pawnee Boarding School, established after the Pawnee tribe came to what is now Oklahoma in 1875 as part of the forcible movement of tribes from eastern lands to what was called the "Indian Nation"
One of the remaining buildings of the Pawnee Agency and Pawnee Boarding School, established after the Pawnee tribe came to what is now Oklahoma in 1875 as part of the forcible movement of tribes from eastern lands to what was called the "Indian Nation"
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
Two of the remaining buildings of the Pawnee Agency and Pawnee Boarding School, established after the Pawnee tribe came to what is now Oklahoma in 1875 as part of the forcible movement of tribes from eastern lands to what was called the "Indian Nation"
Two of the remaining buildings of the Pawnee Agency and Pawnee Boarding School, established after the Pawnee tribe came to what is now Oklahoma in 1875 as part of the forcible movement of tribes from eastern lands to what was called the "Indian Nation"
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
A focus on four historical friezes on the facade of the 1932 Art Deco-style courthouse in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, much of which is also part of the overlapping Pawnee Nation of American Indians, whose people were among thousands of American Indians forcibly removed from eastern lands and relocated to what was called the "Indian Nation" in the 1800s
A focus on four historical friezes on the facade of the 1932 Art Deco-style courthouse in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, much of which is also part of the overlapping Pawnee Nation of American Indians, whose people were among thousands of American Indians forcibly removed from eastern lands and relocated to what was called the "Indian Nation" in the 1800s
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
The colorful Masonic Building was constructed in 1902 as the Arkansas (River) National Bank in Pawnee, the seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, which also overlaps the Pawnee Nation, whose people were among thousands of American Indians forcibly removed from eastern lands and relocated to what was called the "Indian Nation" in the 1800s
The colorful Masonic Building was constructed in 1902 as the Arkansas (River) National Bank in Pawnee, the seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, which also overlaps the Pawnee Nation, whose people were among thousands of American Indians forcibly removed from eastern lands and relocated to what was called the "Indian Nation" in the 1800s
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress
An abandoned building from the days of the Pawnee Agency and Pawnee Boarding School, established after the Pawnee tribe came to what is now Oklahoma in 1875 as part of the forcible movement of tribes from eastern lands of what was called the "Indian Nation"
An abandoned building from the days of the Pawnee Agency and Pawnee Boarding School, established after the Pawnee tribe came to what is now Oklahoma in 1875 as part of the forcible movement of tribes from eastern lands of what was called the "Indian Nation"
Highsmith, Carol M, 2020. Library of Congress

Every photograph of Pawnee County

Fires near this place

32 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 32 fires within 5 miles of Pawnee between 2000 and 2020, burning about 1,570 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 2 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined14
Debris and open burning9
Equipment and vehicle use3
Natural3
Arson/incendiarism2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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
17 September 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined600 acresOklahoma Division of ForestryCEMENT PLANT
1 September 2006Natural1.0 acresPawnee AgencyCEMENT TRUCK
30 August 2006Debris and open burning4.0 acresPawnee AgencyWHITE FIRE
16 August 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresPawnee AgencyHORSE STABLE
31 July 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined140 acresPawnee AgencyPAWNEE CITY
17 July 2006Debris and open burning2.0 acresPawnee AgencySIDNEY
30 May 2012Debris and open burningunder an acrePawnee AgencyPAWNEE COMPLEX
15 May 2012Debris and open burningunder an acrePawnee AgencyWILLIAMS

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Pawnee County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Pawnee: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Flagstone. 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 Sandstone QuarryFlagstonePast Producer
Unknown Sandstone QuarryFlagstonePast Producer

Every working recorded in Pawnee County

Storms near this place

60 of 141 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pawnee in 141 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 70 thunderstorm wind, 50 hail, 14 flash flood, 5 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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
October 1998Thunderstorm WindPawnee$1,050,000Strong winds (known as a rear flank downdraft) associated with a nearby F1 tornado blew the roof off of the high school auditorium, causing over $1 million in damage to the high school. Debris was scattered throughout the high school campus. An adjacent metal-style bus garage was also damaged. Many trees and power lines were downed or snapped by the winds throughout Pawnee. Specifically, several big oak trees were blown down at the Pawnee Agency, including one blown onto the pre-school. Near the Pawnee Municipal Hospital, large trees along Boulder Street were blown down, one falling onto a mobile unit. Tree damage was also reported in the Lusk Addition. A trailer home just northwest of Pawnee was scattered about by the storm, and a nearby cattle trailer was overturned. Damage from the wind and the tornado combined are nearly $2 million. For more information on the nearby tornado, see the separate preceding Tornado entry.
October 1998Tornado (F1)Pawnee$800,000A tornado briefly touched down in the southwest part of the city of Pawnee at 738 PM CDT near 6th Street and Ash. The tornado travelled northeast for 0.4 miles and had a width of 125 yards. Many trees were downed or snapped along the path with about fifty homes receiving minor roof, window, and porch damage. One mobile home was destroyed. Widespread wind damage also occurred in Pawnee due to strong winds in the vicinity of the tornado known as a "rear flank downdraft". The roof at the high school auditorium was blown off by the nearby winds. Damage from the tornado and the winds combined were nearly $2 million. (The official damage estimate in this entry does not include damages caused by the nearby winds.)Most of the tornado damage was F0. However, the tornado was rated F1 based on an estimate of the most intense winds reaching speeds near 85 mph. The tornado lifted before reaching US Hwy 64. However, an isolated home downstream of the tornado path and 2 miles from downtown Pawnee received F1 damage. The Pawnee mesonet site, located 3 miles ENE of Pawnee and 0.4 miles north of the house, measured wind gusts as high as 80 mph. (See the separate Thunderstorm Wind entry for more information on the mesonet observations.) The open prairie, the associated lack of tracers (wind-blown objects) near the mesonet site, and the isolated nature of the home make it impossible to determine if tornadic damage occurred at/near these locations. However, the tornado damage in Pawnee, the F1 damaged home, and the mesonet site are all aligned along the storm's motion.
April 2008Flash FloodPawnee$100,000Heavy rains flooded and damaged numerous secondary roads across Pawnee county.
May 2008HailPawnee$50,000no account filed
February 2009Thunderstorm WindPawnee$40,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour overturned a single wide mobile home and did extensive damage to a double wide mobile home.
March 2009Tornado (EF0)Pawnee$30,000A tornado damaged a mobile home, destroyed a storage barn, and snapped large limbs off numerous trees. Maximum winds based on this damage were 70 to 80 mph.
February 2009Tornado (EF0)Pawnee$30,000A tornado destroyed a barn, damaged several homes, and blew down power poles.
July 2016Flash FloodPawnee$25,000Several streets in town were flooded, resulting in high water damaging the Pawnee Public Library.
March 2008HailPawnee$25,000no account filed
May 2021HailPawnee$20,000Ping pong ball size hail damaged vehicles and homes.
May 2016HailPawnee$20,000no account filed
April 2011HailPawnee$20,000no account filed
April 2020HailPawnee$15,000Ping pong ball size hail damaged vehicles and the roofs of homes.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindPawnee$15,000Strong thunderstorm wind damaged the roof of a home, uprooted several trees, and blew windows out of two vehicles.
June 1999Flash FloodPawnee$15,000The county road which is an extension of 4th Street in Pawnee had a gaping hole after a flash flood washed the road out. The creek that caused this damage flows into Camp Creek.
March 2008HailPawnee$15,000no account filed
June 2017HailPawnee$10,000no account filed
June 2017HailPawnee$10,000no account filed
September 2024Thunderstorm WindPawnee$5,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down numerous power poles and trees. Several roads had to be closed due to the significant amount of debris in the road.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindPawnee$5,000Strong thunderstorm wind damaged a carport and blew down a tree.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindPawnee$3,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour uprooted trees and downed power lines.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindPawnee$3,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree and a few power poles down.
September 1999Thunderstorm WindPawnee$2,500Numerous large tree limbs and severe power lines were blown down by winds estimated at 60-70 mph.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindPawnee$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs and blew the tin off of a barn roof.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindPawnee$2,000A roof was peeled from a building at the corner of 7th and Harrison and blown into the Phillips 66 service station drive across the street. Several trees were damaged, causing scattered power outages.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindPawnee$1,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and power lines.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindPawnee$1,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and power lines.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindPawnee$1,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down a power pole and a few large tree limbs.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindPawnee$100Thunderstorm winds blew down large tree limbs.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindPawnee$100Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindPawnee$100Several tree limbs were blown down in Pawnee. The Oklahoma mesonet site east-northeast of Pawnee measured a wind gust to 62 miles an hour.
August 1996Thunderstorm WindPawnee$100no account filed
April 2026Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 mph.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 64 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 58 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured thunderstorm wind gusts to 58 mph.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 59 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
September 2024Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured thunderstorm wind gusts of more than 58 mph for 10 minutes, with a maximum gust of 72 mph.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 65 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 75 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindPawnee-Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured to 75 mph.
May 2019Flash FloodPawnee-Numerous streets were flooded across Pawnee.
May 2019FloodPawnee-Black Bear Creek near Pawnee rose above its flood stage of 17 feet at 8:30 pm CDT on May 20th. The river crested at 26.18 feet at 7:00 pm CDT on the 21st, resulting in major flooding. This was the eighth highest crest on record. Severe flooding occurred from west of Pawnee to the river's confluence with the Arkansas River. Some homes were flooded. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river crested a second time at 23.87 feet at 3:00 am CDT on the 23rd, resulting in moderate flooding. The river fell below flood stage at 1:00 pm CDT on the 24th.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindPawnee-Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were estimated north of Pawnee.
September 2019Flash FloodPawnee-Portions of several roads were closed south of Pawnee due to flooding.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 63 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindPawnee-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
October 2017FloodPawnee-Black Bear Creek near Pawnee rose above its flood stage of 17 feet at 4:30 pm CDT on October 4th. The river crested at 21.16 feet at 22:30 pm CDT on the 4th, resulting in moderate flooding. Agricultural lands were flooded and several roads were closed in and around Pawnee. The river fell below flood stage at 3:15 am CDT on the 5th.
October 2017Flash FloodPawnee-Portions of Highway 64 were closed between Highway 99 and Highway 18 due to flooding.
July 2016Flash FloodPawnee-Portions of the roadway near the junction of Highways 18 and 64 were flooded.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 58 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 59 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 67 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindPawnee-Strong thunderstorm wind blew a tractor trailer on Highway 412 into the center median.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindPawnee-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several large tree limbs.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 58 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindPawnee-A large tree was blown down by strong thunderstorm wind.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindPawnee-Strong thunderstorm wind resulted in considerable tree damage with many large limbs blown down south of Pawnee.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindPawnee-The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 67 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
July 2010Flash FloodPawnee-Heavy rain flooded rural roads three to six miles south and southwest of Pawnee.

Every storm recorded in Pawnee 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
Cody5.1 miles12
Esau Junction5.4 miles12
Skedee6.0 miles12
Lela6.5 miles11
Rambo6.6 miles11
Lone Chimney7.1 miles11
Casey7.9 miles12
Masham8.1 miles11

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 PawneeAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q3240408The 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 1096479. 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.