A Visit to Pawhuska
I have been going to Pawhuska, Oklahoma for 25 plus years now. This wonderful small town is where my husband was born and raised. For the past 54 years, my in-laws have been a huge part of this community and my father-in-law has been practicing medicine there all that time.
They have seen a lot of changes over the years to this special place. Especially so since Ree Drummond hit the airwaves with her hit Food Network cooking show “The Pioneer Woman” and the success of the show, her blog, cookbooks and merchandise. Pawhuska’s notoriety has also a bit of help from Hollywood as well over the years.
Pawhuska means “White Hair” (named after Osage Indian Chief Paw-Hiu-Skah) and is primarily Osage land. It was established as Indian territory and its history is steeped with the importance of the Osage nation. There are some fun things to do in Pawhuska, some yummy places to eat,. and some nice places to stay.
Where We Stayed:
While visiting Pawhuska over the years, besides staying with my in-laws, we have stayed at a couple of airbnb’s around town. I have a couple favorites for sure.
The Oilman’s Daughter
One of our very favorite places to stay is called The Oilman’s Daughter. This home is great if you are traveling with a good sized group. The Oilman’s Daughter is a lovely home that was remodeled in 2019. This beautiful home is owned and managed by my friend, Suzanne Holland and her sister Cathy Jordan. These two sisters love Pawhuska as they have a rich family history in Pawhuska. If you book with Oilman’s Daughter, you rent the entire home and it sleeps 8 guests. There are four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The kitchen is so well equipped, I think they had more dishes and cookware than I have in my own kitchen! It is super clean, nicely decorated and well cared for and a very comfortable place to stay.
These sisters have had so much fun buying and restoring one home, they have recently purchased another home in town and are currently remodeling it. This house has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. There are two bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs and two downstairs. Again, another lovely place for a group! Suzanne and Cathy hope to have this property available for guests by the spring of 2022. Fun fact - this new location is catty-corner to my in-laws’ house!
The next place I can recommend is The Mabelle. It is a bed and bath. It is a lovely home that you can rent rooms in for your group. It is very well appointed and they even iron the linens here! The beds are comfortable and the house is quiet. A lovely couple named James (he’s British and had lots of fun stories to share!) and Kathie own it and we enjoyed getting to know James during our last stay in Pawhuska. They have several rooms to choose from, one with a king bed, one with a queen and a room with twin beds.
What We Did:
During our most recent visit for a family wedding, we were able to see the remnants of Hollywood that had been left behind when filming for the yet to be released movie Killers of the Flower Moon moved on to a new location. It was really fascinating to see all that the production team had done around town to recreate 1920’s Pawhuska and Osage County. Dirt was brought in to cover the paved streets, 1920’s electrical poles were set up along the main street and business facades were painted on the old store fronts for the movie. A locomotive was brought into town and a replica train depot was built just for the movie. I walked around downtown and took several pictures. When the movie comes out, it will be exciting to see all these places on the big screen. It was remarkable to see what efforts the production team has gone to in order to make Pawhuska look like it did in the 1920’s. If you have not read the book, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, I highly recommend it. It is an important true story that highlights the horrific crimes that took place in the 1920’s against members of the Osage tribe.
Pioneer Woman Lodge Tours and Mercantile
Of course, we cannot talk about visiting Pawhuska without discussing all that the Pioneer Woman has created for visitors to experience around town. You can visit the Mercantile and shop as well as take a Lodge Tour where Ree films her show. You can eat at the Mercantile and P-Town Pizza. If you are craving something sweet, you can stop by Charlie’s Sweet Shop for some ice cream. One of my favorite traditions now when we visit Pawhuska for a couple of days is to arrive in time to have dinner at P-Town and then the following morning we will grab breakfast at the Mercantile. Typically if you arrive at the Mercantile before 9 or 9:30 am, you do not have to wait too long for a table. We have yet to be able to grab rooms at The Pioneer Woman Boarding House. I still have not figured out how to be successful at making a reservation there, but if I ever do, I will share!
The Pioneer Woman Boarding House
Since I have not stayed at the Boarding House, I cannot offer any recommendations. However , we were fortunate enough to have had a tour of the rooms from one of our Pawhuska friends. The rooms are so nicely decorated and spacious.
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a great place to visit if you like to see some bison. The website for the preserve says that “at 39,650 acres [it] is the largest protected piece of tallgrass prairie left of earth.” There are 2,500 free-ranging bison and it is amazing to see these large animals grazing as you drive through the preserve. This picture that my daughter took on one of our trips shows just how close you can get to these beautiful creatures while you are driving through.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
One place you must see if you have a chance while in Pawhuska is the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. This beautiful church is also known as the Cathedral of the Osage and has the most gorgeous stained-glass windows. There are 22 stained glass windows. These stunning windows were made in Germany, and one window in particular depicts some Osage tribe members with a missionary priest. Apparently, members of the Osage tribe had to be granted permission from the Pope to sit for photos for the artists to use in the windows. If you can take a tour of the church, you will not be disappointed. They are given by volunteers on Thursday at 2pm and then on Friday’s at 1 and 2 pm.
