 Originally a Frank Kell property, the COW-T was acquired in 1928 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which then leased it in 1931 to the former Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.As of the census of 2000, there were 22,744 people, 8,793 households, and 6,049 families residing in the county.