Bordering Texas at the Red River, part of the county was in Comanche, Kiowa and Apache grazing lands opened for settlement by lottery June 9 to August 6, 1901. The southeastern part, in the Big Pasture, was opened by sealed bids in December 1906. These lands became part of Comanche County, Oklahoma Territory, until statehood, when Tillman County was organized and given the name of the famous U.S. Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina. Frederick, the county seat, was named after the son of a Frisco Railway executive who promised to give the city an iron flagpole in return for the honor. Finally in 1962, the railway honored this promise. Vegetable farming, cattle feed lots, pecan orchards and a pheasant hatchery at Hamsville illustrate a variety of agricultural interests. The Frederick Industrial Park has a 6,000-foot concrete and asphalt lighted runway and complete refueling services to attract industry to the area. Frederick's water supply is proved by a 900-acre lake, and the area also has the Tom Steed Reservoir. Just east of town in Manitou, Deep Red Creek has been dammed to provide water and recreation. The Tillman County Historical Society sponsors a museum complex. Location: Tillman County borders the Texas state line in southwestern Oklahoma. Climate: The average precipitation is 36.0 inches yearly in this area. January's average temperature is 41.8 and July's average is 81.1. County Seat: Frederick Distances: Frederick to: Altus - 36 miles; Lawton - 46 miles and Oklahoma City 144 miles Land Area: 879 square miles of wide prairie
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