Oldham County, Texas
| Oldham County, Texas | |
|---|---|
Oldham County Courthouse, Vega
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 Location in the U.S. state of Texas |
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 Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1881 |
| Seat | Vega |
| Largest city | Vega |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,501 sq mi (3,888 km2) |
| • Land | 1,501 sq mi (3,888 km2) |
| • Water | 0.9 sq mi (2 km2), 0.06% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 2,052 |
| • Density | 1.4/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Oldham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,052. Its county seat is Vega. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1881. Oldham County is included in the Amarillo, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Oldham County was formed in 1876 and organized in 1881, and named for Williamson Simpson Oldham, Sr., a Texas pioneer and Confederate Senator. At the time of its organization, nearly the entire county was a part of the XIT Ranch. The county seat was originally at the town of Tascosa, Texas, which in the 1880s was one of the largest towns in the Panhandle. As the railroads came through the county, however, they bypassed Tascosa; several new towns and farms sprang up along the rail lines, and by 1915 Tascosa had a courthouse and almost no residents; the county seat was moved to Vega that year. Oldham County is primarily ranch and farm land, with many thousands of acres planted in wheat, the major crop. The county also has some petroleum production and large wind farms. In 1902, the Matador Ranch acquired the 210,000 acres (850 km2) Alamositas Ranch in Oldham County. At its peak, the Matador owned 90,000 cattle and had title to 879,000 acres (3,560 km2) of land in parts of four Texas counties.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,501 square miles (3,890 km2), of which 1,501 square miles (3,890 km2) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) (0.06%) is water. A southern strip of the county, including the county seat Vega, is located on top of the Llano Estacado (Staked Plains). The next approximately 12 miles slope down to the Canadian River. The former county seat of Tascosa is located at a crossing of the Canadian River north of Vega. The terrain then slopes up from the Canadian River, passing the county line at approximately 6 miles and reaching the top of the High Plains a further four miles north.
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