Osage County Oklahoma has a long history and a unique place in Oklahoma history. It’s home to not only unique geography and beauty but also a unique history of people and sorrow. The Osage land is a special place in Oklahoma and even the USA. It’s a great stop for any camping and trekking if you find yourself in this part of the world.
Unique Places
Osage County is a beautiful corner of Oklahoma. Large prairie areas and rolling hills dominate the county. It’s home to a wonderful place called the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. It’s home to several large bison herds and a natural landscape of trees and tall grass. The bison are enormous and regularly walk up to the road and can come very close to one’s vehicle at times. ALWAYS BE CAREFUL AROUND BISON AND NEVER LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE NEAR LARGE ANIMALS.
I always love imagining being in those very same places and thinking about what it must have been like to see thousands of bison running across the open landscape. It must have been exhilarating. Please remember this is a private preserve open to the public and dogs are not allowed on any trails or in buildings. Luckily for everyone, there is a driving path that is approximately 15 miles and is a very long gravel road so you can still see nature even during shutdowns.
Pawhuska is the county seat and home to a special courthouse located on a high cliff above the town. One large hill raises the courthouse high in town but the rest of the city is relatively flat. The town center is home to many small shops most notably Ree Drummond’s Mercantile. Her shop and Boarding House anchors a downtown of small antique shops, food shops, and a few art galleries. It’s a fun little area to explore in an afternoon and to enjoy a walk around the town.
Unique People and History
Osage County is home to the Osage Nation and the namesake of the county. The tribe originates from the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys and then, due to war with tribes from New England, moved into Missouri, Kansas, and parts of Oklahoma. When European settlers arrived, the US government forced them into Kansas. By the 1800s, the US government again forced the Osage from Kansas and then they decided to buy their land, and the land they chose was the area in Osage County known then as the Osage Reservation.
The Osage Congress is located in downtown Pawhuska. The executive branch is located just north of the Osage County Courthouse. Finally, the judicial branch is located north of downtown in the Osage Nation services complex. There is also a large library and museum located in the service complex north of downtown and a rich history can be found there and is worth exploring. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Osage’s history, laws, and people.
Oil and the Osage
I was first introduced to the Osage by the book “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann. It’s a story about the systematic murder of Osage family members by white locals in order to take claim to the Osage’s oil reserves. William Hale is the main antagonist and his goons and family members had their tendrils deep into a few prominent Osage families. He was connected to bombings, poisoning, and good old-fashioned shootings of Osage members and lawmen in order to secure more rights to the oil reserves that are under the hills.
A young FBI leader named John E. Hoover took an interest in the “Osage murders” and sent several investigators to complete the story and learn what was going on. Their investigation discovered death and destruction to satisfy people’s greed. The Osage were wealthy from their oil reserves and since their tribe had bought their land versus being there by the US government’s “land-in-trust”, they were able to control and deed their oil reserves to their own Osage families. The Osage families also had legal issues to jump which included white legal guardians, money guardians, and lawyers that controlled their property and money. Adult Osage members had to “prove” their competency to get their property back!
Hallowed Grounds
I wanted to visit some of the locations that were found in the book. I wanted to see for myself the same places the people talked about. Fairfax and Gray Horse were the final two spots you should visit or at least stop and see. Fairfax is a larger town located in the southwest corner of the county. Gray Horse is several miles to the east of Fairfax.
Fairfax is the town in which a bombing took place that killed an Osage woman. I couldn’t figure out where the exact site was but the house is mentioned several times throughout the book. There is a small stream through the town and several relics from its 100-plus-year history.
Gray Horse is a small hamlet and holds only a dozen or so structures and several small houses in the surrounding area. It is also the site of the pavilion where Osage dances and ceremonies are held each year. There is also new construction around the pavilion with new buildings and improvements. Gray Horse is one of the first settlements established when the Osage were ejected from Kansas and moved to their new Oklahoma homes.
Voices from the Past
My final stop was to visit and pay my respects to the people from the book who suffered at the hands of greed and deceit. I visited the Gray Horse cemetery and saw the headstones of the very people from the book. The main protagonist’s family is all represented in the cemetery with their family members all around them. It seemed like a befitting resting place among the hills, trees, and horses in the pastures and around their tribesmen.
Overall, it was a wonderful day exploring and trekking around Osage County. I will be returning as the year goes on. There are several parks and trails available if you don’t want to see the towns. Several reservoirs are in the county for water sports and a Corp of Engineers campground area, and a state park. If you want to stretch your legs, go for a splash, or do some fishing – Osage County has it all. If you’re here for the history…you can have that too!
Yes. The Osage Reservation and Osage County are co-located in the same area. The reservation has an unusual history of allotment, sales, and transfers that make it confusing to understand the relationship between private, Osage, and public lands. One thing for certain is, that the Osage still own the oil reserves below the surface of the Earth.
Ree Drummond currently lives on a ranch several miles west of Pawhuska. Her show is filmed in a small guest house on their property. There are tours available by visiting the Mercantile in Pawhuska and inquiring about visiting. You get tickets and then you can drive out to the property. Find more info here!
Osage County is the largest county in Oklahoma. It encompasses approximately 2,304 sq miles and is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware.