Tillman county, created from Kiowa and Comanche lands, is located in southwestern Oklahoma on the Texas state line with Frederick serving as the county seat.

The county began settling in 1901 when a lottery was held dividing what is now Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Kiowa, and Tillman counties into 160-acre parcels. (Before this time cattle barons leased the fertile grasslands from the Indians.) About 13,000 claims were drawn with settlers having six months to "prove up" (or improve) their property or risk having it returned to the lottery.

Two bodies of water form the county's southern and western county lines--the Red River to the south and the North Fork to the west. The other major water in the county is Lake Fredrick, located in the northeastern portion of the county.

The county population on July 1, 1999, was 9,419, a decrease of 965 over the 1990 census.