Hutchinson County, Texas

Cities, Towns & Communities

Borger | Fritch | Plemons | Sanford | Stinnett – county seat

History

Hutchinson County History 1922. The Canadian River divides Hutchinson County almost centrally, and the valley of that stream and its tributaries furnish great diversity to the topography of the county. The county has no railway, though a line known as the Enid, Ochiltree & Western has been surveyed and construction is proposed in the near future. The county was organized in 1901, and for many years has supported a meager population, largely of stockmen, and lack of transportation has delayed any considerable agricultural development. The population in 1880 was 50; in 1890, 58; in 1900, 303; in 1910, 692, and in 1920, 721. The county seat is Plemons Stinnett became the county seat in 1926, six years after this was written], in the center of the county and near the Canadian River, and there are several stores and small settlements in different parts of the county. The following figures from the last official census indicate the principal interests and the development of the county. There were 150 farms as compared with sixty-three in 1900, and about 24,000 acres were classified as “improved land” as compared with about 1,800 acres in 1900. The total area of the county is 562,560 acres, with 371,970 acres included in farms or ranches. The number of cattle was 30,685, and 3,180 horses and mules. In 1909, 7,520 acres were planted in hay and forage crops, 2,866 acres in kaffir corn and milo maize, 1,923 acres in wheat, 1,305 acres in oats, and 875 acres in corn. The assessed valuation of property in 1903 was $367,556: in 1913, $1,313,980, and in 1920, $1,900,484. 

Hutchinson County was established in 1876. The county was not organized until 1901, at which time Plemons became the county seat. For the next four decades ranching dominated the county’s economy, while crop cultivation slowly made gradual headway.

The Panhandle oilfield was discovered in the 1920s. June 1, 1923 the Sanford No. 1 J. C. Whittington in southwestern Hutchinson County reached a depth of 3,077 feet (938 m) and found flowing oil. Towns sprang up in response. The population mushroomed from 721 in 1920 to 14,848 in 1930 as a result of the oil boom. By 1990 – 526,670,107 barrels (83,733,855.6 m3) of oil had been taken from Hutchinson County lands since 1923.

Location

Stinnett, TX 35° 49′ 37.1424″ N, 101° 26′ 34.5984″ W

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