Introduction

Although small in terms of population, Harding County is rich in history and geography. The Kiowa National Grasslands is located in the northern section of Harding County, about 20 miles east of I-25. Ranches and guest ranches dot the northeast plains landscape. Dinosaur tracks start at Mosquero Creek and stretch northward through New Mexico and southeastern Colorado.

The wide open spaces of Harding County are bounded on the west by the steep-sided Canadian River Canyon. With vast plains and mesas, grasslands and rivers, this is beautiful country, home to cowgirls and cowboys -- and great football teams!

The county was created by the state legislature on March 4, 1921, the same day Warren G. Harding was inaugurated 29th President of the United States.

At that time approximately 5,000 people lived in Harding, but the county has been losing population ever since. Like other agricultural communities in the American Southwest, Harding County has never recovered from the Great Plains Dust Bowl. Based on the 1996 population of 946 persons, Harding is the least populous and second least densely populated county in the state.

Much of the personal income in the county comes from cattle ranching. Farmers and ranchers, along with agricultural wage earners, account for half of Harding's total employment.

Only 774 souls reside in Harding County, but they are happily at home on this range, where deer and antelope truly play. It's a hardworking, outdoors, high-quality life. And let's dispel two myths of Harding County right now. Myth #1: It's flat. Nope! The prairie rolls, and mesas, canyons and rock formations provide numerous contrasts. Myth #2: It's colorless. Not! The greens of the prairie grasses change with the seasons, bright sunflowers dance in the breezes of late summer and early fall, and all year long the horizon glimmers in pale blue and purple pallets. The colors are there for anyone who takes the time to find them. And the night sky is so clear the stars practically reach down and touch a gazer's heart and soul.

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