Collingsworth
County
sits up in the Texas Panhandle, snug against the western border of
Oklahoma, and enjoys some of the best weather and prettiest country
you'll find anywhere.
One of the first
ranches in the Panhandle, the Rocking Chair Ranche, was founded here
in the late 1800's, and is one of the iconic, legendary ranches alongside
the JA of Armstrong County and the XIT.
Settlers flocked
to Collingsworth County after the Comanches were defeated for one
simple reason: superb farmland. The initial large ranches that defined
this part of the Panhandle gave way to smaller farming operations
that took advantage of the excellent soil and growing climate of the
county.
A long, horizontal
swath known as the Green Belt stretched for miles to the east and
west--this area followed the contours of the Ogalalla Aquifer where
that great underground ocean bubbles to the surface--no matter how
dry the year, the Green Belt was always awash in grass.
The Salt Fork
of the River runs through the middle of the county, and its banks
provide excellent rangeland for cattle as well as a great place for
families to cool off in the heat of summer.
The county includes
the smaller communities of Dodson,
Quail, and Samnorwood;
Wellington is the county seat.
