Arkansas Valley National Bank

Downtown Pawnee, Oklahoma, its become a tourist destination, whether you’re there to see the Pawnee Bill Ranch, the Pawnee Bathhouse and Recreation Area or stopping in at the Forgotten Oklahoma Headquarters there is lots of history in the area. The beautiful bank building that has since been restored by Amy Hedges, holds quite a bit of history itself, being over a century old that’s to be expected!

1895-1901 Fletcher & Rambo General Store

In June of 1895, the people of Pawnee were celebrating the opening of the Fletcher & Rambo General Store on the west side of downtown. Branded as a general store that supplied the most attractive dry goods and groceries, shoes, etc. They were known for their hospitality and treating guests in the establishment, customers or not with a cordial welcome.

By July 1901, a Blackburn man by the name of J.T. Pershall had purchased the entire stock of Fletcher & Rambo’s Store as they prepared to move out of the building. Shortly after their departure, they leased the building to King Kash Kompany who moved their business from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas to Pawnee in August 1901.

1901-1905 Pawnee County Bank

The Pawnee County Bank made the big real estate deal closing on the lot of the Fletcher & Rambo store on October 24, 1901. The land was purchased for $4,000 by the Pawnee County Bank, the store at the time of the deal housed the King Kash Kompany. After the twelve-month lease expired the building would be moved to the corner lot diagonally across the street from the Times-Democrat Office and a brand new bank would be erected on the lot.

Plans for the stately new bank weren’t drawn up until mid-1902 with work expecting to be completed late that year. Considered a Late-Victorian architecture style the bank was two stories, limestone, eighty feet long and twenty-six feet wide, a staple piece to the southwest corner of the square. The Pawnee County Bank resided in the front room of the ground floor while the remainder of the building would be used as office spaces for local businessmen. Some of those are Hickman & Whitlock Jewelry located in the rear of the building, J.W. Monsey, and his tailoring establishment.

At the beginning of 1905, a merger was made between the Planters Bank and the Pawnee County Bank. Planters purchased the entire stock of Pawnee Co Bank and reorganized it into one institution continuing to use the name Pawnee County Bank. Together they would have a capital of $50,000 and occupy the Pawnee County Bank building at the corner of Harrison but be managed by the officers of the Planters Bank.

1905-1913 Pawnee National Bank

The consolidation of these banks just a month later were converted into the Pawnee National Bank, which can be pictured on the window of the image to the left. The president of the bank was Mr. C.E. Vandervoort, an Illinois man who was a licensed trader amongst the Pawnee Indians and here from the start of Pawnee as a town. He originally had started the Bank of Pawnee, which was the first bank in the town, he later sold it and headed to Chicago for other business ventures. But the heart and soul that Pawnee had even back then had him running back in 1905. Upon his return, he helped organize what became known as the Pawnee National Bank and adding to his banking resume he became the President of the Citizens National Bank in Pawhuska, Okla. Mr. Frank Hudson was cashier of the Planters Bank and carried on the position when the banks consolidated.

The bank grew substantially with the population and wealth that the town was experiencing during that time. A two-story addition was added to the rear of the Pawnee National Bank building for around $3-4,000. Pictured above is the Sanborn Map of the bank after the extension was completed. That same year another newspaper excerpt says “The walls and roof of one of the best buildings in our city is nearing completion. That is the Odd Fellows Building west of the Pawnee National Bank.”

Because of its substantial growth it looked to build a new bank in 1914. An old frame building on the south side that had previously been occupied by Stich’s bakery was auctioned off and moved off the lot. A new up-to-date stone bank was to be built and occupied after July 1, 1914 by the Pawnee National Bank. The building they were currently in was to be vacated, it was at the time owned by the directors of the Arkansas Valley National Bank and they would move into the building upon the PNB vacating it.

Arkansas Valley National Bank 1914 -1917

For many years C.P. Rock was president of the institution with the famous G.W. Lillie (Pawnee Bill) serving as his Vice President. Times were tough in this period with the start of World War 1 and many banks around the US suffering financially and closing. But a group of three men, C.H. Stratton, C.C. Schmelzel and E.W. Beeson, all from out of town seemed to be expanding their dealings in the Pawnee area and saw the bank as a great opportunity. They purchased the Arkansas Valley National Bank in 1916 with Mr. Stratton becoming president, Schmelzel taking on the roll of cashier and Mr. Beeson being an assistant cashier.

President Stratton on October 8th, 1917 made notice that the bank was closing its affairs. All noteholders and creditors were to present their notes and other claims for payment. Over the next 20+ years it would house many different businesses including doctor offices, Corner Lunch Room, jewelry stores and more.

Lyon’s Curio Store, Jewelry and Pawn 1946-1990s

Pawnee Bill’s Old Town Indian Trading Post, conceived in the 1920s by Gordon William Lillie, aka Pawnee Bill, blended modern amenities with traditional trading practices. In 1935, Ray Lyons and his family moved from Nebraska to the Pawnee area. Lyon’s Curio Store merged with Pawnee Bill’s Indian Trading Post. Initially offering gas and cabins, it evolved into a hub for Old West artifacts.

But tragically the trading post burned down in 1944, shortly after that Ray Lyon bought all of Lillie’s interest in the store and moved it downtown into the old bank building. Here he established a thriving jewelry store paired with the Pawnee Bill Indian Trading Post.

Most of the items within the trading post back then were made by the local tribes such as the Pawnee, Otoe and Ponca. In addition, they also had found items that they collected and sold at the curio shop. When Ray got older management of the trading post was left to his son Glenn Lyon.  It is said they had the peace medal given to Sitting Bull, spurs used by General Custer, and more.

Also thriving in the building was the Lyon Jewelry store in the building. Another son C.J. Lyon, bought his father’s and business partners’ interest in the jewelry company in 1947. Almost immediately he got to work on updating the store with a new display area, a new paint job and a central desk area. Popular items were that of the Black collection that was purchased from a local collector and the Gorham line.

The Pawnee Bill’s Trading Post moved to another building under a new owner and all that was left was Lyon’s Jewelry which unfortunately closed down in the 1990s. It was then a gift shop owned by Joyce Cheatham until around 2012 when the building went up for sale and sat vacant until 2018. And even though the building was vacant of human life, the Native American manikin that sat in the upper window stayed.

Pawnee Tag Agency and Forgotten Oklahoma Headquarters 2018 – Present

It started with a love of old and abandoned houses and buildings. Now it has grown into a Facebook group of 140,000+ people who all share that same love. The Forgotten Oklahoma Group is the largest Oklahoma history group on Facebook with members all over the world sharing old photos, stories, and modern photos of abandoned and historical places all around the state. The original page was started in 2014 by Amy Hedges of Cleveland who got the idea from her dad to start a Facebook page to show off her photography. The page quickly swelled to over 12,000 likes and at that point, she decided to start a group so that members could interact with each other more easily.

It has been a labor of love, with the group having a lot of challenges but Amy and her 5 admins try to keep the group as family friendly as possible. The group hosts fun meet-ups every year with members coming from all over to explore ghost towns and museums and take photos. The most fun part has been seeing the group become more like a family with friendships forming all over. Members are joining each other on fun backroading adventures and photography shoots all over the state and forming lifelong friendships.

In November 2018 Amy had the opportunity to buy this building once belonging to Pawnee Bill. The building had previous earthquake damage to the façade and needed extensive repair work. Most of the exterior and first floor have been repaired and restoration of the second floor is in the works. The building now houses the Headquarters of the Forgotten Oklahoma Group and the Pawnee Tag Agency, as Amy is now the tag agent for Pawnee. The headquarters includes historical items donated by members and from Amy’s own collection, handmade jewelry & soap, antiques, and vintage cards, as well as Forgotten Oklahoma branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, calendars, prints, and canvases featuring Amy’s photography.

The address of the Forgotten Oklahoma Headquarters is 547 6th Street Pawnee, OK and they are open from 8:30 am-5 pm Monday-Thursday and 8:30 am-3 pm on Friday. Visitors are always welcome for tours. You can call ahead to make sure that Amy is in the office at 918-762-1062.

Gallery Below of Forgotten Oklahoma Headquarters

Bibliography

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Pawnee County Bank

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Pawnee National Bank

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Arkansas Valley National Bank

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Lyons Curio

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