Editing Sterling County, Texas (section)

===County established and growth===

The county was established and organized in 1891 from [[Tom Green County, Texas|Tom Green County]]. A competition developed between [[Sterling City, Texas|Sterling City]] and Cummins for the county seat. Sterling City won, and most of the Cummins population moved to Sterling City by the end of the year. Cummins became a ghost town.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cummins, Texas|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasTowns/Cummins-Texas.htm|work=Texas Escape|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC|access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> County voters in 1898 elected to make Sterling a [[dry county]], prohibiting the sale of alcohol within its boundaries.<ref name="Wet/Dry Status of Texas Counties November 2010"/>
Sheep ranching was introduced to the area in about 1890. Cotton was first planted in 1889. Sterling City opened its first cotton gin in 1895, with others established later. By 1900, {{convert|136|acre|km2}} were planted in cotton, and by 1910, production of the fiber had expanded to {{convert|1626|acre|km2}}. Eventually, it became more evident that county lands were most suitable for grazing. The cotton gins eventually failed; by 1920, only {{convert|650|acre|km2}} in Sterling County were planted in cotton. Ranching continued to expand in the county. Sterling County experienced a brief boom when the number of farms and ranches in the area increased from 131 in 1920 to 176 by 1925.

In 1914, Boy Scout State Encampment was hosted by Colonel W.R. McEntire and George McEntire, Sr, on the "U" Ranch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/camp_tx-state-1914.html|title=Texas State Encampment 1914|last=Hilton|first=Frank|website=www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net|access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/images/other_Southwestern-Scout.jpg|title=State camp site selected|date=January 1914|work=The Southwestern Scout|access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref>

The county's economy declined during the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s. Oil discovered in Sterling County in 1947 helped to bail out the area's declining economy. By the beginning of 1991, {{convert|286548000|oilbbl}} of crude had been extracted from within the county.<ref name="Sterling County"/>