Four views of the first Pawnee Village celebration. The event took place near the site where once a large Kitkehahki (Republican) band Pawnee earth lodge village had stood in the late 1700's. This area was also where United States explorer Zebulon Pike convinced the Pawnees to lower the Spanish flag, recently left there by a large Spanish force and raise the United States flag. Supposedly this was the first time the U.S. flag was raised west of the Missouri River. This flag raising episode was true except it happened about 40 miles up the Republican River at a village the Pawnees moved to after deserting this one.
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