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LOOK IN PHOTO ALBUMS PAGE AND CLICK
ON CITY OF MANITOU ALBUM TO VIEW LOTS OF HISTORICAL PHOTOS OF MANITOU!
MANITOU
Located in Tillman County, Manitou is situated eight miles north of the county
seat of Frederick on U.S. Highway 183. A few families lived in the area by 1902, and a post office was established on January
29, 1902. In 1903 Marion Barnes, who had land north of the Indian Base Line, and Frank Palmer, who had land south of the Base
Line, offered eighty acres for a townsite. A plat was filed in June 1904. In 1903 the Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railroad
(later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built their lines through Manitou. Before a railroad depot was built in October
1905, a platform with a hook served as the delivery point for Manitou's mail.
Locals called a meeting to choose a name for the town. A legend emerged that a
man from the north had come into the territory, and when he returned from the trip, he was asked what he saw. He replied,
"A man or two." Names were submitted and placed in a hat, and the name Manitou was drawn. However,
Manitou is an American Indian name given to a great spirit or to an object of worship. Manitou is the only town in Tillman
County that was not named for a railroad company official or by the postal service.
In early years several schools were constructed, and the Baptist, Christian, and
Methodist churches were organized. In January 1907 the townspeople of Siboney, located two miles north, agreed to move their
businesses and residences to Manitou, thus eliminating the rivalry that had existed between the two towns. At 1907 statehood
Manitou's population stood at 394. Citizens subscribed to early newspapers such as the Manitou Field-Glass and the
Manitou Monitor. By 1918 three cotton gins and one grain elevator serviced the surrounding agricultural area. At the
turn of twenty-first century Manitou, a "bedroom" community, had a population of 278. The jail, a small
concrete building completed in March 1922, remained standing as a landmark, attracting tourists who stopped to take pictures.
The community name derives
from Algonquian term for "god" or "spirit"
It is in the Central Standard time zone. Elevation is 1,257 feet. Manitou is positioned
34.50 degrees north of the equator and 98.98 degrees
The estimated population, in 2003, was 271. The
approximate number of families is 115.
The amount of land area in Manitou
is 0.816 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Manitou to Washington DC
is 1316 miles. The distance to the Oklahoma state capital is 108 miles.
| Type of Fire Department: |
Volunteer |
| Department Run By: |
Local |
| Number of Fire Stations: |
1 |
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Number of Career Firefighters:
| Number of Volunteer Firefighters: |
6 |
| Number of Paid per Call Firefighters: |
0 |
| Non-Firefighting Employees: |
0 |
| Non-Firefighting Volunteers: |
0 | |
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 Manitou. The earliest settlers arrived in the area between 1901 and 1902. It's name drawn from
a hat, Manitou is the only city in Tillman County not named after a railroad or post office official. Manitou was built on
the "Base Line," or "Indian Base" that runs east and west from the Initial (survey). All places and acres in Oklahoma, except
the panhandle, are measured from this point. The first passenger service to the town began in 1903. It's 175,000 gallon water
tower was built in 1911 and served as an anchor to prevent Manitou from joining many other ghost towns on the prairie.
Article about Manitou Post Office Courtesy Of Linda Pitts Stewart
   
School Bus Route History from CJ Stoll:
As for the School, 1/2 mile West of where I lived and about 4 north was
the school that all the Stolls and Barkers went.. it was Called Horse Creek School.
I can't remember where Glendale was?? Many years ago
there was a school 1/2 Mile West and about 2-4 South of Uncle Ben Stoll's road. Same Road that Sherman Woods lived
on.
As for the Bus Route that I lived on.
Starting at a point of 2 miles South of the Base line Road...
on the Road that goes by the Schofield Cemetery
If you are two miles south of the baseline and 1 mile west that
is where Melvin Johnson's lived. Then going back east about 1/2 Mile on the South side of the road and about 1/4 mile
in lived Hardy Watson. Then if you keep going about a mile east of Hardy's and down on the Creek. Two families
lived there during my time. One was the Marcus Morton Family (Kids, Leon, Levon and June), the boys still come to the
reunions from around the Mesquite, Tex Area. The next Family that lived there was Jack Watson. They had two kids
younger a few years than me.. one boy and one girl. Now go back up to the Schofield Road going North..toward my place
on the baseline. about 1/4 mile down on the left and about 1/4 off the road to the west was a family named the Crowell's.
Two kids Larry and ???(a girl). Then mile down the road and about a 3/4 mile East is where the Hefner Family
lived. Lloyd Hefner family, 4 kids. Odell, Terry, Mike and a Girl. Before them The Harris Family lived there.
3-4 Kids, Bobby Harris, Barbara Harris and I believe 2 more.
Then about 1/4 mile further north was Uncle Bill Stoll. Emma, Elsie
Stoll Hoover, Vernon (Mary Ann), Louella Stoll Hall. Then 1/2 mile north just pasted the Schofield Cemetery lived Henry
Stoll family. They moved to Arapaho and later Calif. in the very early '50's. Jurhee and Billy. Then the
road dead ends at the Baseline. AT that intersection is where we three caught the bus. Our home was less than
1/4 mile East on the North side of the road. That was the original home place of the Stoll family. Now go
1/2 mile west on the base line....if you go 4 miles north that is where the Horse Creek School was. Dad's land was on
both sides going north first mile or so.
Now Continue on west on the Baseline. The first house
you came to was on the left side-south side (way back). It was Where Charles Welch family lived. He still
attends the reunions. There were some other families that lived there also but it's foggy..I know the Wylie Family lived
there also. Continue West on the Base line the next house about 1/3 mile down on the north side is Uncle Jake Stoll.
Kids... Janell, Paul Wayne, Gary.
Then continue west on base line 1/5 mile (an intersection)
go about 1/2 mile North and that was the Home of Uncle Ben Stoll. Kids ... Kenneth, James, and Marilyn.
James and his son and wives still live there. Lyndle.
Now during my years there was not another stop for a long
ways going west to Manitou.
Houses along the way 1/2 either side of the road were:
Sherman Woods, Stillman, Floyd Neugerbauer, George Neugerbauer, Newmeyers, and then Duane & Annrene
Cardwell's.
Please do not publish this mess.... I am really pushed
for time but wanted to get you at least a little info.
By the way, you mentioned the Phillip Stolls, they lived
much further East on the base line and went to Indianhoma.
The Bus Drivers I remember in order. J M Woods,
Walter Fisher, Maybe Les Hogue, Wally Haight etc.
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