Checking out Pawhuska’s Swinging Bridge and Finding so much More while there!

A few years ago I read a little blurb somewhere on the Internet about a pedestrian suspension bridge in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Interested in all things on foot, I put it in the back of my mind as something to check out. And finally, a couple of weeks ago, while on a road-trip heading east with my dogs, we got off of Interstate 40 and took U.S. Highway 60 to northeastern Oklahoma to check out the bridge.

If you have read the book or have seen the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, you are already familiar with Pawhuska. Pawhuska is the capitol of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and is where several members of the Osage Nation were murdered for their “oil money” during the oil boom of the 1920s. Although the movie can be very disturbing, it is well worth watching.

Very early on a quiet Sunday morning we pulled into Pawhuska and parked in front of the town’s City Hall right on U.S. 60.

We were immediately struck by the impressive 1920s buildings and the exceptional number of very large and now closed bank buildings. All of them are a legacy of the 1920s oil boom and the enormous amount of money that it must have generated.

We started our walk along Kihekah Avenue at the base of a bluff. To make the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, the filmmakers covered Kihekah with dirt and installed 1920s-style awnings on all of the storefronts.

Very soon into our walk, we spotted a public stairway climbing to the top of the bluff at the end of 6^th Street. If you happen to be interested in public stairways and all things on foot like I am, keep an eye out when walking at the base of a bluff. You chances of spotting a stairway may be very good. Needless to say, we crossed the street and climbed the stairway’s 127 steps to the front door of the Osage County Court House.

After returning to Kihekah, we ran into another public stairway near the end of 7^th Street. This 125-step stairway led to the Osage Nation Headquarters.

Further up Kihekah, near the end of 9^th Street, we spotted another public stairway. This one was completely destroyed and absolutely unwalkable. I have no idea of how many steps it had when usable.

Since we were now at the edge of the town center, we turned around to check out the New Deal-era Post Office and its mural on 6^th Street. Although it was Sunday morning, the lobby was open. Unfortunately, the mural was behind a locked glass door so I couldn’t get a very good picture.

After the post office we crossed U.S. 60 and headed for the Swinging Bridge that brought us to Pawhuska in the first place. On our way to the bridge, we passed through a park and saw thousands of very skinny one inch long caterpillars. I have no idea what they’ll become, but I can imagine it will be a madhouse when the all of them start flying around at the exact same time.

We finally reached the bridge a little beyond the park. The bridge itself was built in 1926 to connect people living on the other side of Bird Creek with the center of town. True to its name the bridge did swing when you started walking on it. It not only swung side to side; it also bounced up and down at the same time. It was like walking on a trampoline in the middle of an earthquake. Fortunately, there is netting on both sides to keep you from flipping into the creek down below.

As I bounced along to the middle of the bridge, I turned around to check on the dogs. They were nowhere in sight. I hurried back and found both of them only a few feet into the bridge. They were completely terrified and flatter than a pancake clinging to the bridge floor hanging on for dear life. Recognizing reality, I got them both back to solid ground and accepted the fact that reaching the middle of the bridge was going to be good enough.

From the bridge we headed back to car, while passing several more interesting buildings, to continue our journey east on U.S. 60.

If you travel less than 30 miles east on U.S. 60, you can check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s only office tower – the Price Tower – in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Bartlesville is also the original home of Phillips 66.

The 19-story concrete and copper Price Tower doesn’t disappoint, and you can see why Frank Lloyd Wright’s 20^th-Century architecture has been given UNESCO World Heritage designation. Walking around and checking out the Tower’s intricate design is an amazing experience. Wright designed it in 1952, and construction was finished in 1955. The Tower was open for business in 1956. Because the building is currently changing ownership, you cannot go inside, but you certainly can walk all around the outside.

After checking out Price Tower, we continued east on U.S 60 and ran into a few more surprises. While driving through Nowata, Oklahoma, I noticed a building that had to be a New Deal-era Post Office, and stopped to check it out. And sure enough it had a New Deal Post Office Mural.

A little bit later in Vinita, Oklahoma, there was another building that had all the trappings of the New Deal, and it too had a mural.

One of the things that you’ll discover as you develop the mindset of wandering is that you’ll start to recognize more and more items and make wonderful discoveries wherever you go. Especially, when you get off the Interstate and start exploring. And everything in this blog post started with a little Internet blurb about a swinging bridge in Pawhuska, Oklahoma!