In 1884, when most of Runnels County was range for livestock, R.F. Counts (1838-1892) planted an experimental cotton field near this site. His success encouraged other area farmers, who raised 88 bales in 1888. First cotton gin in the nearby town of Content was a converted corn and flour mill. C.W. Miller and C.E. Woodrow built a new gin (1 mile northeast) about 1897. The county had about 40 gins to process its peak harvest of 78,172 bales in 1932. Cotton boosted property values in this area and remains a principal crop.