Stratford, TX

Stratford is Sherman County's seat at the meeting of U.S. 54 and 287 in the Llano Estacado. Aaron Norton bought the original railroad land around 1885, and his manager, Walter Colton, gave the town its name after Stratford Hall. The Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway made Stratford a shipping point, and the county seat moved here from Coldwater in 1901. That rail-and-road history still accounts for a small city carrying both county offices and a long agricultural service role.

Farming and ranching remain central to the area, with feedlots and feed production added to the local economy over time. The Stratford Independent School District keeps the school complex at the center of town life, from Mary Allen Elementary through Stratford Junior High and High School; the high-school band also has a long local history. Rita Blanca National Grasslands lie west of town, putting Panhandle range and public land alongside the roads, businesses, churches, library, and school facilities that serve Sherman County. Stratford's map is a county seat, shipping point, and school town in one.