Gotebo, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 04.185 W 098° 52.264
14S E 511755 N 3880785
Gotebo, OK is located in Kiowa County, in southwestern Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WM1039N
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 02/17/2019
Views: 3
The town was originally called Harrison and named for Pres. Benjamin Harrison. The railroad nearby called this stop Gotebo, after a well-respected Kiowa chief. In 1901, the town was incorporated and renamed Gotebo. This is agricultural country, with cattle and cotton and wheat.
In 1909, the downtown area was busy, and Wedel's Department Store opened to a big fanfare. 1909 By 1910, the population was about 700, peaking in 1929 at about 850. But the Depression was hard on this part of the country, and folks began leaving town to find work elsewhere. Today, there are about 214 people still living in town.
There is an active Town Hall and fire department and a Baptist church, but the downtown block is in ruins with no plans to rebuild. The school closed in 1990 and has consolidated with the nearby town of Mountain View.