History
Ochiltree (ock'-el-tree) County was created in 1876 but wasn't organized until 1889 with Perryton as the county seat. It was named for William Beck Ochiltree, Secretary of the Treasury, Republic of Texas, under Sam Houston's second administration. Perryton was named in honor of Judge George M Perry. The county has a higher population than most of the counties surrounding it with just over 10,000 folks chiming in for the 2020 census.The original residents of the Texas Panhandle were the plains Indians and some of the Adobe tribes. They resented the intrusion of the settlers because the white men slaughtered the buffalo and left the meat to rot. There was a great war between the natives and the intruders and the natives lost, as is the way with the world. At first, the intrusion was slight but then oil was discovered and people came from everywhere to reap the benefits. The rugged cattlemen who owned the property became wealthy overnight. The area is still known for wheat and cattle.