Visit The Osage - Osage County, Oklahoma

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Visit The Osage - Osage County, Oklahoma The Osage County Tourism department - Pawhuska and beyond! Western lives on in Osage County, Oklahoma! We're talking Pawhuska and beyond!

Where to stay, where to dine, what to do, and even upcoming events - we are your one-stop information spot! Home of Food Network's Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond! Come explore our lore and more - from the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum to the Osage Nation Museum to the Tulsa Botanic Garden to touring the lodge out on the Drummond Ranch, there's plenty to do and we have lodging available in spades! Relax a

t Lake Skiatook where the views will take your breath away, dine at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, shop in Skiatook and Pawhuska, fish in our many lakes, hunt, drive through the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, spend an afternoon at Woolaroc, or just drive our scenic byways. Osage County is a great place to spend a few days! Osage County is one of the prettiest spots in Oklahoma, our history is rich, and our locals are friendly. From Tulsa to the Kansas line - and from Ponca City to Barnsdall, you'll love Osage County, Oklahoma! For lodging, dining, shopping, events, and attractions: VisitTheOsage.com

‼️ATTN RODEO FANS‼️Whether you've been in town watching the western action unfold all week long or just waiting for the ...
18/07/2025

‼️ATTN RODEO FANS‼️

Whether you've been in town watching the western action unfold all week long or just waiting for the big day, don't miss the finals of the Cavalcade Rodeo! Catch all the cowboy excitement as the finalists of the world's largest amateur rodeo duke it out for the championship title in events like bronc riding, team roping, barrel racing, and more. The Cavalcade Rodeo finals start at 10:00am this Sunday, July 20. Find more info and reserve your tickets today at https://www.cavalcaderodeo.com/

 : Way back in 1903, the Santa Fe Railroad completed a line connecting Kaw City to Ralston through the western reaches o...
17/07/2025

: Way back in 1903, the Santa Fe Railroad completed a line connecting Kaw City to Ralston through the western reaches of the Osage Reservation. Running through the Salt Creek Valley, this new line bypassed the village of Gray Horse.

Recognizing the advantages of having a stop on the line, Gray Horse merchant Lew A. Wismeyer (known as the "father of Fairfax") persuaded the railroad to build one and leased the surrounding area from the Osage Nation. Wismeyer dubbed the stop "Fairfax" after a Washington, D.C. hotel where he and his wife had stayed. The entire town soon adopted this name, by which it has been known ever since.

This historic photo of a steam engine pulling into the Fairfax Santa Fe depot was taken at some point during the town's heyday as a stop for the trains moving oil, cattle, passengers, and agricultural products across the plains. Pay Osage County a visit to see some of our historic sites and cultural treasures for yourself! You can find information and resources to help plan your trip on our website at http://www.visittheosage.com/

Enjoy a little taste of Osage County's natural beauty with a trip to Bluestem Lake. Bring along the fishing poles to cas...
16/07/2025

Enjoy a little taste of Osage County's natural beauty with a trip to Bluestem Lake. Bring along the fishing poles to cast a line for whiskered channel catfish and largemouth bass, and pack the tent or roll your RV up to one of the lake's campsites to enjoy a stunning Oklahoma sunset over the water before you turn in. And, if your visit comes a day or two after rainfall, don't forget to bring the camera to catch some amazing shots of the waterfalls produced by the lake's spillway! You can find more info at https://tinyurl.com/BluestemLakeGC

While you're in town for the Cavalcade Rodeo this week, make your way to downtown Pawhuska to find a huge selection of s...
15/07/2025

While you're in town for the Cavalcade Rodeo this week, make your way to downtown Pawhuska to find a huge selection of stylish western clothing, decor, jewelry, and much more at Spurs and Arrows! Paintings, pottery, T-shirts, Pendleton blankets, souvenirs – you'll find all kinds of treasures at this Osage County original! You can find their hours, address, and see some of their current stock at https://tinyurl.com/SpursArrows

With the Cavalcade Rodeo kicking off at the OSAGE County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska, we thought we’d celebrate some of the ...
14/07/2025

With the Cavalcade Rodeo kicking off at the OSAGE County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska, we thought we’d celebrate some of the rich history of this Osage County tradition. Here’s a little taste from the Cavalcade's website:

"Inaugurated in 1947, the Cavalcade was the brainchild of Alice Adams, a well-known lady bronc rider and arena secretary and was co-sponsored by the Pawhuska Roundup Club and a fledgling new magazine, The Roundup. Two years later in February of 1949, the Pawhuska Roundup Club bought the sole rights to the Cavalcade and formed the Cavalcade Committee.

In March of each year, roundup clubs in Oklahoma and Kansas meet with the Cavalcade Committee to review rules and openly discuss ideas and suggestions for that year’s show. This western sports jamboree is held on the Osage County fairgrounds, three miles south of Pawhuska, Oklahoma."

Join the party all week long in Pawhuska as the Cavalcade Rodeo celebrates more than 75 years of cowboy action, dancing under the stars, and all kinds of western heritage. You can find the schedule of events and reserve your own tickets today at https://www.cavalcaderodeo.com/

Start getting ready to experience some of Osage County's rich Native American heritage at the 54th annual Kihekah Steh P...
13/07/2025

Start getting ready to experience some of Osage County's rich Native American heritage at the 54th annual Kihekah Steh Powwow. Coming up Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27 in Skiatook, this fantastic event will feature beautiful regalia alongside traditional music and dancing with competitive entries for men and women of all ages – all free and open to the public! You can find the schedule and more details at https://www.facebook.com/KihekahSteh1969/

While you're in town for the Cavalcade Rodeo next week, enjoy a round or two at the local watering hole with a stop at t...
12/07/2025

While you're in town for the Cavalcade Rodeo next week, enjoy a round or two at the local watering hole with a stop at the Dry Hollow Bar. Located in Pawhuska's historic downtown, it's the perfect place to relax and unwind at the end of a full day spent enjoying all the rodeo events and western fun the Cavalcade has to offer – you might even get the chance to meet a real cowboy or two! You can find the bar's address, hours, and more info at https://tinyurl.com/DryHollowGC

Constructed in 1904 from sandstone quarried in the hills west of town, Hominy’s historic stone schoolhouse is one of Osa...
11/07/2025

Constructed in 1904 from sandstone quarried in the hills west of town, Hominy’s historic stone schoolhouse is one of Osage County’s most enduring landmarks. Originally serving local students well into the 1920s, the building now houses the administrative offices for Hominy Public Schools.

One quirky detail continues to pique the curiosity of locals and visitors alike – take a close look at the date on the building’s facade and you’ll notice that the “4” in 1904 is carved backwards. You can find more info on this historic Osage County treasure on the Hominy Heritage Association's website at https://tinyurl.com/Hominy1904

Get a head start on your weekend with a visit to the Tulsa Botanic Garden tonight for their Thursday evening 5 O'Clock S...
10/07/2025

Get a head start on your weekend with a visit to the Tulsa Botanic Garden tonight for their Thursday evening 5 O'Clock Somewhere party! Wear your best Hawaiian shirt and surf shorts, grab a frozen drink with an umbrella garnish, and enjoy some island music as you explore the stunning Florigami in the Garden exhibit.

Created by Santa Fe artists Ken and Jennifer Box in collaboration with several world-renowned origami artists, these monumental sculptures – some of which stand 17 feet tall – are nestled among the Garden’s lush landscape, providing the perfect setting for an invigorating summer stroll, a unique date night, or a relaxing evening out with friends and family.

You can find more info and tickets at https://tinyurl.com/TBG5OClock

Explore the one-of-a-kind story of Osage County with a trip to The Osage County Historical Society Museum Pawhuska. Loca...
09/07/2025

Explore the one-of-a-kind story of Osage County with a trip to The Osage County Historical Society Museum Pawhuska. Located in the town's historic Santa Fe Railroad depot, the museum's five main exhibits covering the Boy Scouts (the first troop in the United States was founded here), Western Life, Pioneer Life, Early Day Oil Industry, and Indian Life provide a great overview of the area's history and culture. You can find the museum's address, hours, and more info on its collection at https://tinyurl.com/OsageCHSM

Ever heard the story of outlaw train robber Elmer McCurdy? An unconventional criminal, to say the least, McCurdy spent t...
08/07/2025

Ever heard the story of outlaw train robber Elmer McCurdy? An unconventional criminal, to say the least, McCurdy spent the majority of his final few years in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma – including Osage County. Born in 1880, McCurdy worked through his teenage years as a plumber until losing his job during an economic downturn in 1898. After both his mother and grandfather died a couple of years later, McCurdy became a heavy drinker and began drifting around the country.

From 1907 to 1910, he served in the U.S. Army where part of his training (a small part) included the use of nitroglycerin. After his discharge, McCurdy began a new career – in robbery. He decided to make use of his (limited) training with explosives in this new line of work, but he usually failed to calculate the correct payload, so his heists were often badly botched affairs. For instance, during one train robbery he used too much nitroglycerin to blow open the safe, melting down the $4,000 worth of silver coins inside and fusing them to the safe’s interior.

His final robbery occurred on October 4, 1911, when he tried to knock over an MKT Train carrying $400,000 in royalty payments bound for members of the Osage Nation. In what the papers later described as the “smallest train robbery in history," McCurdy and his accomplices mistakenly stopped a passenger train instead, and were only able to make off with $46, a bit of whiskey, and some trinkets stolen from the conductor. Local law enforcement caught up to McCurdy a few days later as he hid out on a ranch near Bartlesville, and the outlaw was killed in the ensuing shootout.

McCurdy’s remains were delivered to the undertaker in Pawhuska, where he was embalmed and prepared for burial while awaiting word from his next of kin. When no next of kin could be found, the undertaker stood the body in one corner of his funeral home and for the next several years attempted to recover the cost of his services by charging visitors a nickel each to see “the bandit who wouldn’t give up.” In 1916, two men claiming to be McCurdy’s long-lost brothers showed up to collect the remains and took his body with them. These men were not any relation to the bandit, however, but the owners of a traveling carnival called the Great Patterson Carnival Show.

For decades McCurdy’s co**se was sold, traded, displayed, and moved all across the country among a variety of businesses and individuals until it wound up in a Los Angeles storage warehouse. Now essentially mummified after decades of exposure and desiccation – weighing about 50 pounds and standing just over five feet tall – the body was soon found and assumed to be a wax figurine for use in film and television productions.

In 1976, the body was in use on the set of the hit series The Six Million Dollar Man when one of its arms was accidentally broken off. The presence of human bone and muscle tissue, as well as a few identifying scars found during the resulting medical examination led to the discovery that these were in fact the remains of Elmer McCurdy. The body was returned to Oklahoma a few months later, and McCurdy was buried next to his fellow outlaw Bill Doolin in the Boot Hill area of Guthrie’s Summit View Cemetery.

Having finally been laid to rest, for years McCurdy’s story was largely forgotten. Then in 2024, the premiere of the new off-Broadway musical "Dead Outlaw" brought it back to life. Directed by Tony-winner David Cromer, this dark comedy explores both McCurdy’s unproductive life as a bandit and his much more successful post-mortem career as sideshow attraction and stage prop. Dead Outlaw moved to Broadway earlier this year and has won or been nominated for more than 30 awards.

Plan your next big trip to Osage County, where you never know what kind of amazing story you might discover next! You can find information on places to stay, things to do, and more on the rich tapestry of history to be explored here at https://www.visittheosage.com/

Polish up your best pair of cowboy boots and get ready for the Cavalcade Rodeo! Make your way to the OSAGE County Fairgr...
07/07/2025

Polish up your best pair of cowboy boots and get ready for the Cavalcade Rodeo! Make your way to the OSAGE County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska July 15-20 to catch all the action as cowboys and cowgirls from across the entire nation compete in the world's largest amateur rodeo. Stick around afterwards to enjoy delicious food and live music each night with a dance under the stars in historic downtown! Find more info and reserve your tickets today at https://www.cavalcaderodeo.com/

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