Pawnee County, Oklahoma

History

The Osage Nation used the area that contains present-day Pawnee County as buffalo hunting grounds. In 1825, The Osage ceded parts of present-day Missouri, Arkansas, and most of the future state of Oklahoma to the US federal government.

After their forced removal from the Southeastern United States, Cherokee people received land in Eastern Oklahoma as well as the Cherokee Outlet in 1828, which included present-day Pawnee County. After the Civil War, the Cherokee agreed to allow other American Indians to settle in the eastern portion of the outlet. According to the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Pawnee Nation, the Pawnee people sold their Nebraska reservation in 1874 and used those funds to purchase land from the Cherokee Nation and the Muscogee Nation to establish a home in the Indian Territory.

From the Pawnee Nation Historic Preservation Office, the Pawnee people were forced to sign an agreement in 1891 to take land allotments from the reservation or have their lands taken from them by eminent domain. The remaining lands were opened to non-Indian settlers in 1893. Pawnee County was organized as County Q, and the future town of Pawnee, Townsite Number 13, was designated the county seat. In 1894, the voters chose the name Pawnee County over the name Platte County.

The female bandit, Little Britches, companion in crime with Cattle Annie, lived for a time at Sinnett, site of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Pawnee County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 595 sqmi, of which 568 sqmi is land and 27 sqmi (4.5%) is water.

The western third of the county is part of the Red Bed plains, while the remainder is in the Sandstone Hills region. The Cimarron and Arkansas Rivers drain the county. Black Bear Creek also extends through the county. Lone Chimney Lake dam is also in Pawnee County, while the lake extends into Payne County.

Adjacent counties

• Osage County (northeast)
• Tulsa County (southeast)
• Creek County (south)
• Payne County (southwest)
• Noble County (west)

Earthquake

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near the city of Pawnee, just after 7 a.m. (CST) on September 3, 2016. This was Oklahoma's strongest quake in history, exceeding the 5.7-magnitude quake near Prague on November 5, 2011. Buildings in Pawnee were damaged, but there were no reports of deaths. A Pawnee resident was injured while shielding his child from debris falling from a chimney. State regulators in Oklahoma ordered 37 petroleum production wastewater disposal wells in the vicinity of the earthquake (see map in citation) to be rapidly closed while assessments were made.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 15,553. Of the residents, 23.4% were under the age of 18 and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.4 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 75.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 12.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 1.1% from some other race, and 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.0% of the population.

There were 6,056 households in the county, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 7,276 housing units, of which 16.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.6% were owner-occupied and 22.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 16.5%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 16,612 people, 6,383 households, and 4,748 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 /km2. There were 7,464 housing units at an average density of 5 /km2. The racial makeup of the county was 82.27% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 12.13% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 4.42% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000, there were 6,383 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.60% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.50% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,661, and the median income for a family was $37,274. Males had a median income of $29,946 versus $21,069 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,261. About 9.60% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Communities

Cities

• Cleveland
• Pawnee (county seat)

Towns

• Blackburn
• Hallett
• Jennings
• Maramec
• Oak Grove
• Ralston
• Skedee
• Terlton
• Westport

Unincorporated communities

• Mule Barn (former town)
• Quay (partially in Payne County/also a census-designated place)
• Shady Grove (former town)

Education

K-12 school districts include:

• Cleveland Public Schools
• Frontier Public Schools
• Glencoe Public Schools
• Mannford Public Schools
• Morrison Public Schools
• Pawnee Public Schools
• Woodland Public Schools
• Yale Public Schools

Elementary school districts include:

• Jennings Public School
• Keystone Public School

NRHP sites

Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Pawnee County, Oklahoma

The following sites in Pawnee County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Arkansas Valley National Bank, Pawnee
• Blackburn Methodist Church, Blackburn
• Blue Hawk Peak Ranch, Pawnee
• Corliss Steam Engine, Pawnee
• First State Bank of Maramec, Maramec
• Mullendore Mansion, Cleveland
• Pawnee Agency and Boarding School Historic District, Pawnee
• Pawnee Armory, Pawnee
• Pawnee County Courthouse, Pawnee
• Pawnee Indian Agency, Pawnee
• Pawnee Municipal Swimming Pool and Bathhouse, Pawnee
• Ralston Opera House, Ralston

References

References

1. "Pawnee County, Oklahoma". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Wilson, Linda D. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=PA025 "Pawnee County,"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
4. "Cattle Annie & Little Britches, taken from Lee Paul [http://www.theoutlaws.com]". ranchdivaoutfitters.com.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. [http://www.outdoorsok.com/oklahoma/lonechimney/ "Lone Chimney Lake, Oklahoma." OutdoorsOK.] Accessed September 5, 2015.
7. (September 7, 2016). "M5.8 - 15km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma". [[United States Geological Survey]].
8. (September 7, 2016). "Magnitudes for Oklahoma Earthquakes Shift Upward". [[United States Geological Survey]].
9. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/earthquake-oklahoma-large-magnitude_us_57cad23de4b0a22de09631e4?6c82xef05n5ukgldi& Campbell, Andy. "5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Oklahoma." ''Huffington Post''. September 3, 2016.] Accessed September 3, 2016.
10. Duren, Dee. "Pawnee Man Injured Protecting Child In Earthquake".
11. (September 3, 2016). "USGS: 5.6 magnitude earthquake shakes Oklahoma". [[KFOR-TV]].
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
15. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
16. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. (January 15, 2019). "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County".
21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
22. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pawnee County, OK". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].