Main Street to be Renamed Pawnee Nation?

Pawnee Reserve, Okla. (October 21, 2024) October 11, 2024, Mayor Cottle and other City officials held a Special Meeting at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall (located at 510 Illinois) to deliberate possible action to rename main street (currently Harrison Street) as Pawnee Nation Street. 

While other items were on the Special Meeting Agenda, the discussion of the possibility of honoring the Pawnee Nation with a permanent street took priority as Pawnee Business Council (PBC) presented the graceful, official request to rename main street after Pawnee Nation. 

City officials reserved the right to gather information about the potential of “red tape” around the process of the renaming.  Joyce Cheatham (Ward 5) researched the history of Harrison Street before agreeing to the name change and commented that she saw “no problem” proceeding with the change. 

Police Chief Wesley Clymer was present at the meeting along with County Assessor, Melissa Waters.  The Emergency Services personnel pointed out that the renaming would NOT have adverse effects on their services. 

To give a quick timeline of the history of nomenclature in Pawnee, the city itself has long time shouldered the name of the Pawnee Tribe (relocated from Nebraska to Oklahoma between 1873 and 1875).  The Post Office was redesignated from Pawnee Agency to Pawnee in 1893.

The city was incorporated in April 1894. According to the public Pawnee County Historical Museum Day Proclamation, “a small group of concerned Pawnee citizens met for the first time, September 28, 1978.”  

https://www.pawneechs.org/proc-county.html

According to Deborah Bouziden, “Today Oklahoma is home to more Native Americans than any other state.  Thirty-seven tribes have their headquarters here, and flags from each Indian nation fly over the state capitol’s lawn.” (OKLAHOMA Off the Beaten Path, 2024)

The next City Council meeting date can be found HERE, in which further discussion and possible action will take place on behalf of the Pawnee Nation’s request.  Mayor Cottle did not give a statement after the meeting. 

For more information, contact communications@pawneenation.org