Explore the real-world places that appear in Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Pawhuska Indian Village & Osage Nation Museum, Anna Brown's Home, William Hale's Ranch, Tom Ketchum's Hideout (Guthrie), Mollie Burkhart's Home and 9 more.
Kihekah Ave, Pawhuska — Heart of Osage territory
Pawhuska serves as the primary setting for the Osage murders. The town was the administrative and cultural center of the Osage Nation after their forced relocation from Kansas. Grann extensively details how the Osage became wealthy beyond measure after oil was discovered beneath their land, and how predatory white businessmen, including Tom Ketchum and William Hale, descended upon the town to marry Osage women and gain control of their headrights (shares of mineral wealth). The murders radiated outward from this town between 1921 and 1926.
Pawhuska was established in 1898 as a trading post for the Osage Nation. After the discovery of oil in 1905, the town became one of the wealthiest per capita communities in America, with the Osage Nation controlling immense oil and mineral royalties. The town's architecture and infrastructure reflect this sudden wealth.
Pawhuska remains the capital of the Osage Nation. The Osage Nation Museum preserves the history of the Osage people and documents the murders. Visitors can see period buildings and exhibits about Osage culture and the FBI investigation.
Visit: Osage Nation Museum (museum)
South of Pawhuska — Site of May 1921 murder
Anna Brown, a wealthy Osage woman, was shot and killed in her home in May 1921. Her body was discovered in a ravine. Her death was the first of the Osage murders that would captivate Grann's investigation. Anna was targeted because of her headright and the suspicion fell initially on various men, but the true conspiracy was far darker. Her murder set off a chain of killings that would claim dozens of Osage lives.
The area south of Pawhuska was home to many Osage families who had built estates with their oil wealth during the 1910s and early 1920s. Anna Brown's property was one of many scattered across the prairie.
The original location is now private property with no public access. The exact structure has been replaced, and the land remains rural ranching territory.
Near Fairfax, OK — The kingpin's base of operations
William Hale, the mastermind behind the Osage murder conspiracy, operated from his sprawling ranch near Fairfax. Grann meticulously reconstructs how Hale orchestrated the systematic murder and theft of Osage headrights. Hale married Osage women, adopted Osage orphans, and positioned himself as a trusted advisor to the tribe while secretly plotting their murders. His ranch became the command center for what amounted to a genocide-for-profit scheme, with hired killers like Bullet-Proof Tom Ketchum and Roy Williamson doing his bidding.
William Hale arrived in Indian Territory in 1906 and quickly amassed wealth through ranching and business dealings with the Osage. By the 1920s, he was one of the most prominent white citizens in Osage County, a position built entirely on deception and murder.
The ranch is now private property. No public access is permitted. The site has been absorbed into contemporary ranching operations.
Guthrie, OK — Hired killer's base
Bullet-Proof Tom Ketchum, one of William Hale's primary executioners, operated from Guthrie before and after committing murders. Ketchum was a hardened criminal and explosives expert who carried out the assassinations of multiple Osage headright holders at Hale's direction. Grann tracks Ketchum's movements as he executed victims including Olla Olla, Chief Whitehorse, and others, all orchestrated by Hale's whispered orders.
Guthrie was Oklahoma's territorial capital before Oklahoma City. During the oil boom era, it attracted criminals, fortune seekers, and ne'er-do-wells fleeing other territories.
Guthrie is a historic small town about 30 miles north of Oklahoma City with a well-preserved Victorian downtown. The specific locations of Ketchum's hideouts are not marked.
Pawhuska area — The Osage woman at the center of the tragedy
Mollie Burkhart was one of the wealthiest Osage women, blessed with substantial oil headrights. She became the unwilling centerpiece of Grann's narrative as her own family members were murdered around her. Her mother Lizzie Q, her sister Anna Brown, and her husband Ernest Burkhart were all entangled in the conspiracy. Grann reveals how Mollie slowly realized that her own husband Ernest had been complicit in her sister's murder and in plots against her own life, orchestrated by his uncle William Hale.
The Burkhart family were prominent Osage landowners during the oil boom. Mollie inherited significant headrights and was the target of predatory marriage schemes by white men.
The location is now private property without public access. Mollie Burkhart's legacy is preserved in the Osage Nation Museum's exhibits.
Lawton, OK — Military post during investigation
During the investigation of the Osage murders, federal authorities coordinated with military resources at Fort Sill. J. Edgar Hoover's nascent FBI relied on military intelligence and facilities to investigate the conspiracy. The coordination between civilian law enforcement and military personnel was crucial to building the case against William Hale and his network of murderers.
Fort Sill was established in 1869 as a military post to oversee Indian Territory. By the 1920s, it served as a regional military headquarters for Oklahoma and Indian Territory.
Fort Sill remains an active U.S. Army installation near Lawton, Oklahoma. It is partially open to the public with guided tours and a museum. Visitors can see period buildings and learn about frontier military history.
Visit: Fort Sill National Historic Landmark & Museum (historic site)
Pawhuska — Federal oversight of Osage affairs
The Osage Agency was the federal office responsible for managing Osage Nation affairs, including the distribution of oil headright payments. Grann details how corrupt federal agents and staff were complicit in the Osage murders, either through negligence or active participation. The Agency was where predatory white guardians filed fraudulent paperwork to gain control of Osage headrights, and where payment records documented the systematic theft.
The Osage Agency was established after the Osage Nation's forced removal to Indian Territory. It represented federal government control over Osage economics and affairs during the oil boom era.
The original Osage Agency building still stands in downtown Pawhuska and is maintained as a historical structure. It is not currently open for regular public tours, but it remains a focal point of Osage Nation historical consciousness.
Pennsylvania Ave, Washington — Hoover's investigation command center
J. Edgar Hoover, the ambitious young FBI director, took personal interest in the Osage murder cases as a way to establish the Bureau's legitimacy. Grann shows Hoover directing the investigation from FBI headquarters, deploying agents to Oklahoma despite resistance from local authorities and William Hale's political allies. The Osage case became one of the FBI's first major successes, helping to cement Hoover's power and the Bureau's role as America's premier federal police force.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was reorganized under Hoover in 1924, the same year as the Osage murder investigation. The Osage case was among the Bureau's first significant cases.
The FBI Building (now called the J. Edgar Hoover Building) is located on Pennsylvania Avenue. It offers tours and exhibits about FBI history, including information about early major cases.
Visit: J. Edgar Hoover Building (FBI Headquarters) (landmark)
Osage County — Exploited oil infrastructure
Ernest Burkhart, Mollie's husband and William Hale's nephew, benefited from the Osage oil wealth while participating in its deadly plunder. Grann describes how Ernest leveraged Mollie's headright to gain control over oil production rights and derrick operations. The landscape was dotted with these pumping stations that generated the wealth that made the Osage targets for murder.
Oil derricks appeared across Osage County after 1905 when the first commercial oil strike occurred. By the 1920s, hundreds of derricks covered the landscape, each one representing a potential fortune for Osage headright holders.
Some original oil infrastructure remains visible across Osage County as historical artifacts. The landscape is now a mix of active oil operations, ranches, and preserved historical sites.
Fairfax town center — Small town at the heart of conspiracy
Fairfax was a small town near William Hale's ranch and served as a hub for the conspiracy. Grann describes how Fairfax residents were either perpetrators, witnesses, or victims of the Osage murders. The town embodied the collision between Osage wealth and white settler opportunism, with everyday people becoming entangled in the conspiracy either by choice or by proximity.
Fairfax was established during the land rush era and developed as a small agricultural and ranching community. The oil boom brought wealth and complexity to the small town.
Fairfax remains a small rural town in Osage County. The downtown area preserves some early 20th-century architecture. No specific murder sites are marked for public visitation.
Hominy town center — Northern Osage settlement
Hominy was another Osage settlement where murders occurred. Several Osage headright holders were killed in the Hominy area, and Grann documents how the conspiracy extended across the entire Osage Nation territory. The murders were not isolated incidents but part of a systematic campaign to eliminate Osage owners and consolidate wealth in white hands.
Hominy developed as an Osage community center with its own school, church, and commercial district. It served the northern portion of Osage Nation territory.
Hominy is a small town in northern Osage County. It maintains some historical buildings and serves as a reminder of Osage settlement patterns. No specific murder sites are marked.
Downtown Oklahoma City — Trials and convictions
The trials of the Osage murderers took place in Oklahoma City courtrooms. Grann provides gripping courtroom scenes where William Hale, Bullet-Proof Tom Ketchum, Roy Williamson, and others faced justice. The trials were dramatic confrontations where evidence accumulated against the conspirators, though Hale's considerable resources and legal team fought vigorously to escape conviction.
Oklahoma City served as the territorial capital and later the state capital after Oklahoma's 1907 statehood. Its courthouses were the venue for major trials including those of significant criminals and political figures.
The Oklahoma County Courthouse still stands in downtown Oklahoma City. It is a functioning public courthouse with historical significance. Tours may be available through the county, though courtroom access is limited to active cases and scheduled visits.
Visit: Oklahoma County Courthouse (historic site)
Bartlesville downtown — Oil industry center
Bartlesville was a major oil industry center north of Osage County where oil executives and businessmen operated. Grann references the broader oil economy that created the wealth and incentives driving the Osage murders. The proximity of major oil operations in Bartlesville meant that Osage oil resources were controlled by a network of connected white businessmen and corporations.
Bartlesville was founded in 1898 and became a major petroleum industry hub with the Oklahoma Petroleum Company (later known as Phillips Petroleum) establishing headquarters there. The city became synonymous with oil wealth and power.
Bartlesville preserves its oil heritage with the Woolaroc Museum and various oil industry landmarks. The town offers a window into the oil boom economy that surrounded the Osage Nation.
Visit: Woolaroc Museum (museum)
Near Pawhuska — Murder dumping ground
Multiple Osage murder victims' bodies were dumped in creeks and ravines near Pawhuska, including the Chita Chita area. Grann describes gruesome discoveries of decomposed remains, some blown apart by TNT planted by Bullet-Proof Tom Ketchum. The creek bottoms became unmarked graves for the Osage people as William Hale's conspiracy systematically eliminated headright holders.
The creeks and ravines around Pawhuska were natural dumping grounds for rural crimes before modern investigation techniques. Many Osage bodies were discovered in such locations, often weeks or months after being murdered.
The creek remains part of the rural landscape near Pawhuska. It is not marked as a historical site but represents one of many massacre locations across Osage County.
More by David Grann: The Lost City of Z locations map · All David Grann books
Other nearby maps: Murderland: A Thousand Miles of Killing on the Highway by Caroline Fraser locations map