375 people live in Kaw City, Oklahoma. The city was named after the Kaw and Kanza Indians, and its population was 375 at the 2010 census. The town is located in eastern Kay County and was founded in 1902, just before Oklahoma became a state. It was in a fertile oxbow bend in the Arkansas River, across from the Kaw Indian Agency. The town had 486 residents at the time of statehood in 1907. Kaw Lake now fills the original town.
The town moved to its present location after the Kaw Dam was built on the Arkansas River. The old depot, now the Kaw City Museum, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Will Rogers homestead was also moved, and the foundations of these structures can be seen at low water levels. Once the lake was filled in, many buildings were destroyed, including the railroad depot and Will Rogers homestead.