Until the passage of a liquor sales referendum held on May 11, 2013, Yoakum had been one of 19 remaining prohibition or entirely dry counties within the state of Texas.

[4] Voters in Denver City also approved a separate referendum to permit liquor sales within that community.

Yoakum County was organized in 1907, and the population increased to 602 because of the sale of state land deeds.

And so they frequented the sand dunes to hunt the plentiful game once there, and perform sacred rites during their encampments.

Evidence of these visits to the area by Comanche, Kiowa, and prehistoric Indians before them was discovered in the 20th century by local ranchers and verified by archaeologists.

A Quanah Parker Trail arrow, installed December 14, 2011, marked Denver City as a place with historic ties to the Comanche and other native peoples who once hunted and lived in the region.

In March 2015, Denver City removed and stored the arrow for eventual reinstallation at the site of a new museum.

More than 21,000 cattle were reported that year, but crop cultivation remained limited; about 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) were planted in corn, 600 in sorghum, and 47 in cotton.

[11] Irrigation in the county led to more acres being planted on sorghum, cotton, alfalfa, watermelons, and castor beans.

About 95% of agricultural revenue was derived from crops, especially cotton, sorghum, wheat, hay, and corn.

[8] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 800 square miles (2,100 km2), virtually all of which is land.