Formed February 26, 1867 (61st county)
Pawnee County (6,259), Larned (3,769)
The columns add to the 1917 tan brick and masonry Neo-Classical building. United States Highway 56 passes in front of the structure that is on a square at Broadway, 7th, Main, and 8th streets. The courthouse was designed by William E. Hulse and Company. There was an earlier courthouse dating from the 1880’s. Marble stairs adorn the inside of the building. The county was organized on February 26, 1867 from Native American Territory as the 61st county with Larned as the only county seat. It gets its name from the Native American tribe. The county seat gets its name from Fort Larned which is named for Colonel Benjamin F. Larned, its founder.
The area of the county is 754 square miles. It is 51 out of 105 in the state. It ranks 56 out of 105 in population in the state. It has a density of 8.3 persons per square mile making it 54 out of 105 in the state. Pawnee County has 67.9% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 56 travels northeast to southwest in the county from Barton County to Edwards County. United States Highway 183 goes north to south from Rush County to Edwards County. The county is a lazy letter Z. Larned is in the eastern quarter of the county. Larned is the county seat and the largest city. It is 60.2% of the county population. The Arkansas River flows through the county.
Pawnee County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Seven District Court Judges serve Pawnee, Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, and Rush counties (judicial.) Pawnee County is in central Kansas. Wichita, Kansas is southeast and Salina, Kansas is northeast of the county. The county center is 6 miles West of Larned. The county is surrounded clockwise by Rush, Barton, Stafford, Edwards, Hodgeman, and Ness counties. The county is pronounced PAW-NEE. The county seat is pronounced LAR-NED.
Burdett
Garfield
Larned
Rozel
