Panhandle | 26 Counties

Armstrong
Briscoe
Carson
Castro
Childress

Collingsworth
Dallam
Deaf Smith
Donley
Gray

Hall
Hansford
Hartley
Hemphill
Hutchinson

Lipscomb
Moore
Ochiltree
Oldham
Parmer

Potter
Randall
Roberts
Sherman
Swisher

Wheeler

In 1876, Charles Goodnight, a veteran cattleman and former Texas Ranger, established the legendary JA Ranch.
Goodnight, known for his innovation and grit, implemented practices like the chuck wagon, which he invented, to sustain his crews during grueling cattle drives to distant railheads. The JA Ranch rapidly grew to become one of the largest and most influential cattle operations in the world, symbolizing the beginning of the open-range cattle kingdom in the Texas Panhandle.

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1876

CHARLES GOODNIGHT
ESTABLISHES THE JA RANCH

PANHANDLE

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Discover Panhandle History

With 26 counties, the Panhandle is defined by its broad mesa and expansive grassland prairies.

Historically home to Native American tribes like the Apache and Comanche, the region later saw waves of Spanish explorers, Texas Rangers and Buffalo Soldiers. By the late 1800s, after the collapse of the buffalo population, vast sheep and cattle operations transformed the open range into a hub for ranching and trade.