[9] In 1886, the Kansas Legislature reestablished the surrounding area as Stevens County, and Gov.

John Martin designated Hugoton as the interim county seat.

This set off a violent county seat war with nearby Woodsdale.

Hugoton became the permanent county seat in 1887, but the conflict continued, culminating in the Hay Meadow Massacre of 1888.

[5] Woodsdale founder and attorney Samuel Newitt Wood, heavily invested in the conflict for the county seat, was assassinated by James Brennen, one of the men involved in the Hay Meadow Massacre, outside the Hugoton courthouse on June 23, 1891.

[12] Hugoton reportedly served as a temporary home for infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde.

[13] They lived in the unincorporated areas near Hugoton, assuming the aliases of Jewell and Blackie Underwood.

Receipts from Jewel's Cafe were found in the duo's vehicle after their deaths in a 1934 shoot-out.

[16] In the mid-1930s, Hugoton, along with much of Kansas and parts of other nearby states, suffered the effects of the Dust Bowl, which ravaged the Great Plains in waves between 1934 and 1940.

[18] The famous "Black Sunday" dust storm that marks the naming of the Dust Bowl as a geographic area encompassing most of the mid-United States and affecting the entire country, hit Hugoton and neighboring towns in multiple counties and in Oklahoma early on April 14, 1935.

[23] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.75 square miles (4.53 km2), all land.

[25] The 2020 United States census counted 3,747 people, 1,355 households, and 976 families in Hugoton.

24.2% of households consisted of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (23.0%); educational services, health care, and social assistance (20.7%); and construction (8.3%).

The city council consists of five members and meets on the first Monday after the 4th day of each month.

[46] U.S. Route 56 and K-25 enter Hugoton concurrently from the north, intersecting K-51, which runs east-west, in the southern part of the city.

[20] Hugoton Municipal Airport is located on the south side of U.S. 56 less than a mile west of the city.

[47] A line of the Cimarron Valley Railroad passes through the northwestern corner of the city.

[49] Two radio stations are licensed to Hugoton: K222AK, a translator station of NPR affiliate High Plains Public Radio in Garden City, Kansas, broadcasts from Hugoton on 92.3 FM; KFXX-FM broadcasts from Garden City on 106.7 FM, playing a Classic Hits format.