How Sterling County Got Its Start

Sterling County was formed in 1891 from Tom Green County. It covers 914 square miles of West Texas at elevations between 2,200 and 2,600 feet. The county and its seat are both named for W.S. Sterling, a buffalo hunter and early settler in the area. The North Concho River and its tributaries — Sterling, Ross, and Crystal creeks — drain the land.

Large cattle ranches dominated from the 1870s onward. Sheep were later added; the county had 147,000 sheep by 1940. The Santa Fe Railroad reached Sterling City in 1910. Oil was discovered in 1947 and added a new income source alongside ranching. Sterling City was incorporated in 1955 and remains the only incorporated town in the county.