Pawnee is a small town in north-central Oklahoma with an outsized connection to the Wild West. The Pawnee Bill Ranch preserves the home and grounds of Gordon "Pawnee Bill" Lillie, a showman who ran his own Wild West show and later partnered with Buffalo Bill Cody. The ranch is a state historic site with a museum, the original ranch house, and a herd of bison, longhorns, and draft horses. On summer weekends, the ranch hosts a Wild West show with trick riding and roping.
The town is also the birthplace of Chester Gould, creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip. A small museum downtown celebrates Gould's work. Pawnee's county seat square has a handsome courthouse and a few shops, though the town is quiet most days. The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma is headquartered here, and the tribe hosts powwows and cultural events throughout the year.
Pawnee sits about 60 miles west of Tulsa, an easy drive through the Osage and Pawnee prairies. If you pair it with a visit to Pawhuska and the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, you have a full day exploring Oklahoma's frontier history and open grasslands.