Knox County grew from open range to cotton country

Knox County was created in 1858 but stayed nearly empty until cattle ranchers moved in around 1880. By 1900 the county had 366 farms and ranches covering close to 449,000 acres. Cotton quickly became the main crop after 1900 and dominated farming through the early decades of the 20th century.

Benjamin, the county seat, was founded in the mid-1880s (TSHA sources differ slightly on the exact year) and named by a local rancher after his son. The county courthouse still stands there. Population peaked at 11,368 in 1930 and has declined since then as farming became more mechanized. Today the county remains rural and agricultural.