It grew into a cattlemen's center and has been called "the Mother City of West Texas".

The town acquired a railway station and post office in 1881 and was named the county seat.

During the late 19th and 20th century, economic activity centered successively on salt mining, then farming, then oil production.

[7] On December 26, 2010, a 13-year-old girl named Hailey Dunn disappeared on the way to her father's house to spend the night.

[9] Her mother's boyfriend was long suspected for the death of Hailey and told police she was in Scurry County, but in 2023 the prosecution dropped the case against him based on advice from the FBI.

[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 sq mi (14 km2), all land.

[11] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,991 people, 1,494 households, and 728 families residing in the city.