Formed August 21, 1876 (196th county)
Hartley County (6,062), Channing (363)
The Texas Renaissance courthouse, built in 1906, is located on Railroad and 9th streets, one block west and two blocks south of the intersection of Texas State Highway 354 and United States Highway 385. The architect of this red brick structure was O. G. Rouquemore. Hartley served as the original county seat from August 21, 1876 but the courthouse was moved to Channing in 1906. The building was enlarged in 1927 and 1935. There is an augmenting County Office in Dalhart. The county was part of Bexar County as the 196th county. Hartley County was named for Rufus K. and Oliver Cromwell Hartley early Texas lawyers. The county seat was named for a railroad employee.
Hartley County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves Hartley, Dallam, Moore, and Sherman counties and One County Court Judge serves Hartley County. The county is located on the northwest panhandle, northwest of Amarillo, Texas. Two forks of the Canadian River cross the county. The county center is 21.5 miles Northwest of Channing nearer Hartley. The county is surrounded clockwise by Dallam, Sherman, Moore, Potter, and Oldham counties and New Mexico.
The area of the county is 1463 square miles. It is 27 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 196 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 4.14 persons per square mile making it 209 out of 254 in the state. Hartley County has 51.3% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 54 diagonals from Dallam County on the north into New Mexico on the west. United States Highway 84 enters from the east, Moore County, turns north, and exits into Dallam County. United States Highway 385 comes in from Dallam County with United States Highway 84, splits in the county, and goes south into Oldham County. New Mexico is on the western border of this rectangular shaped county. Channing is in the southern quarter. Channing is the county seat and the largest city. It is 6.0% of the county population. It is one of only three communities in this remote location.
Channing
Dalhart
