Local History
How Oil Shaped Hutchinson County
An oil discovery in the early 1920s turned a quiet ranching county into a booming industrial hub almost overnight — and oil still shapes the local economy today.
Hutchinson County was created in 1876. It was named for jurist Anderson Hutchinson. After the county organized in 1901, the economy ran almost entirely on ranching and wheat farming.
Then oil changed everything. In the early 1920s, a discovery opened the vast Panhandle oilfield. Growth was fast. The county's population jumped from 721 in 1920 to nearly 15,000 by 1930.
Borger became the main boomtown. Oil workers poured in. Refineries and petrochemical plants followed. In 1926, after a special election, Stinnett replaced Plemons as the county seat.
The county kept growing. Population reached 31,580 by 1950. It peaked at 34,419 in 1960. Today, petroleum production, refining, and related industries are still the economic backbone of the county.
The Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas has a full entry on Hutchinson County's history.
Source to confirm: Texas State Historical Association — Handbook of Texas: Hutchinson County