Pawnee

Pawnee is at the intersection of Farm roads 673 and 798, twenty-two miles northwest of Beeville in northwestern Bee County. It reportedly was named for a board inscribed "Pawnee" and nailed to a tree by travelers; apparently arrowheads found in nearby Sulphur Creek suggested that Pawnee Indians had once used the area. A Sullivan family purchased a large tract of land in the area before the establishment of the county in 1849. John E. Wilson bought the ranch from the Sullivans in 1877 and sold part of it to William A. Pettus in 1881. W. J. Lott entered a partnership with Pettus in 1889 and soon afterward became the sole owner of the land.

The earliest settlers of Pawnee included Fred Hoff and his family, who settled three miles southwest of the site of Pawnee on land bought from the Lott ranch in 1890. D. C. Benham, another early settler, arrived in 1900. The first one-teacher Pawnee school was built in 1910, when it enrolled thirteen pupils. About the same time, M. Carson opened up Pawnee's first store. The first of three cotton gins was erected in 1916 by J. Parker, and in 1925 Pawnee had four grocery stores, a doctor's office, a drugstore, a cafe and meat market, a garage, and a blacksmith's shop. Pawnee remained a small settlement until 1930, when oil was discovered nearby.

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Robert D. Crangle, Jr. | © TSHA

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Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Pawnee is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Pawnee is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 28.65276440
Longitude: -98.00278130

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

No

Population Count, 2021 View more »

85