Collingsworth County Grew From Open Range to Cotton Fields

The Texas legislature created Collingsworth County in 1876 from land that had been part of Bexar and Young counties. Large cattle ranches dominated the 1880s, including the Diamond Tail Ranch and the Rocking Chair Ranch. A severe drought from 1885 to 1887, combined with a brutal blizzard in 1886, broke up many of those big operations. Settlers then moved in and plowed land for crops.

The county organized politically in 1890, and Wellington was chosen as the county seat. By 1930 the county had grown to more than 14,000 people — its historic high. Cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum became the backbone of the economy. By 2000, peanuts had grown into a major crop. The region had been Comanche and Kiowa territory until the 1874 Red River War ended their presence on the Southern Plains. The 1931 Art Deco courthouse still stands in Wellington and is noted by the Texas Historical Commission.