Newton-McDonald, MO-2015

Community Spotlight on our cities and villages

Our Villages... Splitlog

Seneca Located on the Burlington Northern Railroad main line between St. Louis, MO and Tulsa, OK lies the thriving tiny city of Seneca. The city was settled around 1833 when a group of pioneers from Ohio came to

Splitlog was named for Mathias Splitlog, a wealthy Indian Chieftain and entrepreneur from Kansas City. He came to the northwest part of McDonald County in search of silver and gold. He built a rail- road to the village, but it was re-routed to Goodman a few years later. The railroad was later purchased by Arthur Stillwell and became the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad.

the lush valley. They settled where Lost Creek and Little Lost Creek converge at the edge of Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. With a population of roughly 2,300 people, Seneca still thrives at the foothills of the Ozarks in Lost Creek Valley. Seneca serves as a center for livestock, dairy, poultry and grain farming. Its past is preserved in the century-old homes and build- ings scattered throughout the city, including the historic one-room schoolhouse and caboose. Seneca’s home-town atmosphere is compliment- ed by tree-lined streets, and two creeks that pro- vide fishing opportunities as well as a duck and geese habitat. Ginger Blue Village This village started as a summer resort lodge in 1915. It was built on the banks of the Elk River and named Ginger Blue after a Native American chief who lived near the site in the 1700s. The resort became a huge success and by 1920, visi- tors traveled by train from Kansas City, Tulsa and Wichita to explore the nearby caves and water

and sulphur wells. Ginger Blue Village was incorporated and the local gov- ernment was given the same rights as a city. Only a handful of people live in the village today, and they hope to revital- ize the resort to its original grandeur.

Tiff City Located 18 miles northwest of the county seat of Pineville, Tiff City sits on the Oklahoma line on Buffalo Creek. Tiff City’s location was adjacent to Indian Territory in its early days, creating opportu- nities for retail trade with Seneca Indian neighbors. The first post office was built in 1876. By 1881, the retail business prospered. Tiff City remains a small, close-knit community with an active retail force.

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