Sherman County's economy: wheat, cattle, and natural gas

Cattle ranching came first. By 1900, the county had nearly 30,000 head of cattle. Wheat farming grew into the main crop by the 1930s. Then, in the 1960s, large-scale irrigation began using water from the Ogallala Aquifer. That irrigation let big cattle feedyards expand across the county.

Oil was found in 1938 but stayed a small part of the economy for decades. Natural gas turned out to be more important. By the 1980s, about 750 producing gas wells were bringing in roughly 60 percent of the county's school tax revenue.

This history shapes the land today. It helps explain land patterns, water use, and the mineral rights questions that often come up when buying property here. Sherman County is one place where wheat, cattle, water, and gas all show up in the same land story.