Potter County Was Carved Out of the Panhandle Frontier in 1876

The Texas legislature created Potter County from the old Bexar District in 1876. The county was named for Robert Potter, a Texas statesman from the Republic era. When the county organized in August 1887, a vote of early settlers chose Amarillo (then a new railroad town) as the county seat.

Before formal settlement, large ranching operations dominated the land. The LX Ranch arrived in 1877 and the Frying Pan Ranch in 1881. By 1890, twenty ranches held more than 511,000 acres. The cited Handbook entry traces the ranching era, county organization, and Amarillo's growth.