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Pawnee County
History
P
awnee County Kansas was created in 1867 and named for the Pawnee Indians, who inhabited the area as their hunting grounds. The land recognized as Pawnee County was a hightraffic area long before its boundaries were officially plotted and a permanent settlement began in 1872. Pawnee County’s most recognized citizen is Clyde W. Tombaugh (1906-1997), who discovered the planet Pluto in February 1930. Tombaugh graduated from Burdett High School in 1925. He discovered Pluto while working at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. Other notable Pawnee County natives include Hall of Fame coach Gene Keady, former Purdue basketball coach; Ralph Terry, former New York Yankees pitcher; Gary Patterson, Texas Christian University
head football coach; John Zook, All-Pro NFL player and All Big 8 player at the University of Kansas; Mitch Webster, major league baseball outfielder; Hal Patterson, Canadian football player; and Belle Jennings Benchley, past director of the
San Diego Zoo. Pawnee County currently includes the cities of Garfield, Burdett, Rozel and Larned. The buffalo and Indians roamed freely for centuries before the white soldiers arrived in 1859 to establish a military post at Fort Larned to assist in commerce and travel along the Santa Fe Trail. George Custer, Kit Carson, William Cody, Black Kettle, Satanta, and Yellow Bear were but a few of the legendary people frequenting the fort. The establishment of Fort Larned on the Santa Fe Trail was significant not only for defense of the trail, but also to assist settlers in the area. The Hancock-Custer expedition, referring to General
Winfield S. Hancock and Colonel George Custer, arrived at Fort Larned on April 7, 1867, and the two men conducted meetings with Cheyenne Chiefs Tall Bull and White Horse in an attempt to satisfy Indian displeasure at white settlers. The meeting delayed problems along the Santa Fe Trail. It was Henry Booth (18381898), retired captain of Company L, 11th Kansas Calvary, who petitioned the state for official organization of the county in 1872, naming it after the familiar Pawnee River as well as recognizing the Pawnee Indians who inhabited the area historically. Booth served in the Kansas Legislature, serving as the Legislature’s Speaker of the House.
