Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s.
In 2007, the ward was abolished and replaced by the multi-member Doon Valley ward as council elections moved to a proportional voting system – the single transferable vote – following the implementation of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.
The ward centered around the town of Dalmellington and took in the southern part of Cumnock and Doon Valley next to its borders with Kyle and Carrick District Council and Stewartry District Council.
[1] The boundaries remained largely unchanged following the Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1981.
In 1998, the Third Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements made minor alterations to the wards northern boundary ahead of the 1999 election.