Pawnee Rock was founded in 1874. It was named from the historic landmark Pawnee Rock nearby. William Bunting became Pawnee Rock's first mayor when the town was incorporated in 1887.
One-half mile north of U.S. 56 and the town of Pawnee Rock is Pawnee Rock State Historic Site, a monument to travelers on the Santa Fe Trail that marks the trail's approximate halfway point. The monument consists of a rough stone pole building used for picnics and a granite pillar-shaped monument atop a small hill.
Passages that mention Pawnee Rock, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Biographical history of Barton County, Kansas1912 · page 145Read the page →
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FOURTEEN miles southwest cf Great Bend, in one of the richest agricultural sections cf Barton County is the town of Pawnee Rock. It derives its name frcm tho historic cliff of sand-stone that for countless ages has stood a silent sentinel cf the plains, just north of what is now the townsite. It was a stopping place for the hardy men and women
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Biographical history of Barton County, Kansas1912 · page 164Read the page →
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raised on a farm and came to Barton County in October, 1873. He located en the southeast quarter of section 34, township 15, range 20, which adjoins the townsite of Pawnee Rock on the east. Since that time he has added to his holdings at different times until he and his sons now own, 2,200 acres of land in the vicinity of Pawnee Rock. Mr. Bowman was
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Pawnee Rock, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1850
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