Pawnee, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 The plats of northern Jefferson Township, Geary County, Kansas, showing Fort Riley and Pawnee across the Kansas River. 1909. | |
  Pawnee  Pawnee | |
| Coordinates: 39°5′6″N 96°45′42″W / 39.08500°N 96.76167°W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Geary |
| Named for | Pawnee people |
| Elevation | 1,053 ft (321 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 785 |
| GNIS ID | 482209 [1] |
Pawnee is a ghost town in Geary County, Kansas, United States,[1] which briefly served as the first official capital of the Kansas Territory in 1855. Pawnee was the territorial capital for exactly five days – the legislature met there from July 2 to July 6 – before legislators voted to move the capital to Shawnee Mission, which is located in present-day Fairway. It may be the shortest-lived capital of any U.S. state or territory (Colorado City also served as the capital of the newly established Colorado Territory for five days in 1862 but was not federally recognized).