The Pawhuska House Hotel was built in the 1880s. It was a grand structure as is evidenced by the fact that it still stands today. By 1911, the building was sold to Mr. C. C. Constantine, a Greek immigrant, who dreamed of turning it into the finest opera house in the Southwest. The Theater features […]
PAWHUSKA’S “WHITING HALL” A FAVORITE MEMORY In the ’50s & ’60s, with windows open, music filled the streets in downtown Pawhuska as many big bands and western swing bands would play at Whiting Hall. Tenants of the Whiting apartments, that sit across Kihekah from the Whiting Building, would dance up and down the balcony. It […]
The Town Builder “TOWN BUILDER” as he was called in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, was born in 1870 in Ogdensburg, New York. He studied Law at the University of Nebraska and in 1891 moved to Enid, Oklahoma and established a Law Firm Whiting & Laing to practice Law. In 1909 he was appointed Probate Attorney and Competency […]
In the early days of Pawhuska, the natural development of what is now Kihekah Ave created a triangle shaped piece of land in the middle town. This location severed for many years as a place of gathering. In the late 19th century a beautiful band stand/gazebo was erected and became a site for historic speeches, […]
When you think of the pioneer woman, you probably think of the talented and popular cook. However, long before the time of television and fast communication, a hardworking woman named Mabelle Kennedy would soon become known as the pioneer woman of her time. In 1891, long before Oklahoma became a state, Mabelle and her family […]
“Exciting, Energetic, Inspiring, Legendary, Ballerina TallChief Sisters” These two Native American women paved the way during a time in America’s most trying years of prejudice against women. Elizabeth Marie (Maria) TallChief, born January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma, was a daughter to Alexander Joseph Tall Chief and Ruth (nee Porter). She was the first American […]
First Female Osage Marine Born July 11, 1923 in Wynona, Oklahoma, Died June 13, 2001 First lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped change the law so all women, including Native Americans, could serve in the World War II war effort. In a time of America when women were expected to be in the kitchen with their aprons […]
Born November 21, 1887, near Pawhuska, Osage Reservation, Died June 7, 1942, Battle of the Midway WWII, Pacific Ocean Clarence Leonard Tinker was the eldest son of George Edward Tinker and Sarah (Schwagerte) Tinker. He was raised Osage and spoke the Osage language and grew to be the highest ranking Native American officer during WWII. […]
Born June 13, 1918 at Foraker, Oklahoma / Died April 8, 1996 at Mesa, Arizona WWI was drawing to a close at the worst of times for America when the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 had killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. It was about this time on June 13, 1918, that 16-year-old Ollie […]
The Bandit Who Wouldn’t Give Up Stranger than all other crime tales is the tale of Elmer McCurdy. Deep in the heart of the Osage Hills, just over 100 years ago, one cold autumn morning in October, 1911, Elmer robbed the Katy (M-K-T) Train, at gunpoint, near Okesa, Oklahoma. Believing he was going to become […]