Stephens Media Interactive: Newspapers: Pawhuska Journal-Capital

Pawhuska Journal-Capital
P.O. Box 238
Pawhuska, OK 74056
Phone: 918.287.1590
Fax: 918.287.1804

General Manager
Jerry Quinn
Email: jquinn@examiner-enterprise.com

Pawhuska, OK, home of the Stephens Media Group's Pawhuska Journal-Capital, is "Where The Buffalo Roam." The beginning of Pawhuska can be traced to the Osage Indians. The first written mention of the Osage Tribe was on an autograph map made by Father Marquette in 1673.

In 1879, during several forced moves of Indian tribes across the country, Congress moved the Osage from their homelands in Kansas to lands purchased from the Cherokees in Indian Territory, what is now northeastern Oklahoma. The Osage selected a site near present-day Pawhuska and called it "Pa-Hu-Ska," the name of an Osage Chief that meant "hair color white."

Two newspapers served the city in the early days. The Capital began in January 1904, and the Osage Journal was established in September of the same year. Both newspapers started as weekly publications and later became dailies.

In 1919 the stage was set for the present Journal-Capital. Richard Flam, a hard-driving promoter and businessman, purchased the Capital from Vernon Whiting, and in September of the same year he successfully converted the weekly Capital to an evening daily.

As oil production grew, so did Pawhuska. In 1922, with the city population more than 10,000, E.L. Gay converted his weekly Osage Journal to the Pawhuska Daily Journal, which was distributed in the mornings. For 3 years Pawhuska citizens had an evening and morning paper.

In 1925 Flam and Gay found that a better newspaper could be produced if there were just one evening daily. On April 7, 1925, the consolidation was completed, and the first Daily Journal-Capital hit the streets. The paper was sold in 1926 to the McGiffin Newspaper Corp. They owned the paper until 1947 when Glen Van Dyke and S.J. Love assumed ownership and management.

The Donrey Media Group purchased the Journal-Capital on March 1, 1965. On Jan. 4, 1989, the Pawhuska Journal-Capital became a twice-weekly publication, publishing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Today, Pawhuska is known as "Where The Buffalo Roam." Imagine the vastness of 37,000 acres of prairie, disturbed only by the thunder of more than 400 bison. This is the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, which lies just 17 miles north of Pawhuska. The Nature Conservancy, a private, nonprofit conservation organization, reintroduced buffalo to the prairie in 1993, and plans to expand the herd to 2,000. On the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve alone, over 400 plant, 300 bird and 80 mammal species have been identified. Film teams from around the world have discovered the Tallgrass Prairie as a place of ecological richness and uncommon beauty.

Real Cowboys....Over 250,000 head of cattle thrive on bluestem grass that grows on over 1,000 ranches around the county. Numerous rodeos and ropings throughout the year give these real American cowboys the chance to display their immense skills to the public.

Proud Indians...Pawhuska, capital of the Osage Nation, is rich in history. As perpetual owners of mineral rights in the county, the Osage Indians became the richest people per capita in the world during the "Oil Boom" of the 1920s. Their fascinating history is chronicled at the Osage Tribal Museum, the oldest continuously operating tribal museum in the United States. For a real expression of Osage culture, Indian dances (I'n-lon-Schka) are celebrated annually during June.

Wild Stories....Hear about Wild West outlaws such as Jesse James, Belle Starr, and Bill Doolin who hid out in the hills around Pawhuska. Bob Dalton, of the famous Dalton Gang, was even the Osage police chief! Many other famous people have had ties to Pawhuska: Herbert Hoover, Tom Mix, Clark Gable, Bob Wills, Ben Johnson and more. Oil barons such as Frank Phillips, Harry Sinclair, and George and Jean Paul Getty sat under the "Million Dollar Elm" in Pawhuska to bid for Osage oil leases that helped make their fortunes. The first Boy Scout troop in America was founded in Pawhuska. You can visit the Osage County Museum for information on these stories and more.

Downtown Pawhuska is a grand tribute to its past. It encompasses 98 buildings, 86 of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Constantine Theater, built in the 1880s, was the lifework of C.C. Constantine, who sought to establish it as the grandest playhouse in the Southwest. Recently renovated by local citizens, it remains an acoustical and an architectural masterpiece.

Pawhuska, population 3,825, is the county seat of Osage County, the largest county in Oklahoma, and lies about 60 miles northwest of Tulsa. Oil and gas, as well as horses and cattle ranching on the famous bluestem grass, contribute to the economy of Osage County. Its per capita income is $11,123.

Tourism continues to grow in Pawhuska. Nearby state parks include Osage Hills, Walnut Creek and Wah-Sha-She. Nearby lakes include Hulah, Kaw, Bluestem, Walnut Creek, Birch and Skiatook.