Cherokee County, Texas
Sell Mineral Rights in Cherokee County, Texas
Caturus Energy permitted here in 2026 as the Haynesville fairway gets tested further west. Valence and Sabine have long-standing production.
Producing formations: Cotton Valley, Travis Peak
Where Cherokee County sits
Dry gas country, the Haynesville, Bossier and Cotton Valley run underneath this county. All twenty-three counties we buy in are shaded; click one to open it.
The history of oil and gas in Cherokee County
1933, and the western edge that is being tested again right now
The southern tip of the East Texas Field reaches into northeastern Cherokee County. That piece was found three years after the discovery well and developed reluctantly. Ninety years later, this county is where operators are testing whether the modern play reaches further west than anyone thought.
1933, and then a wait
Oil was discovered in Cherokee County in 1933. Development did not follow immediately, the standard account is blunt about it: technical and financial difficulties prevented development until 1934.
That is a sentence worth unpacking. By 1933 the East Texas Field had already collapsed the price of oil to thirteen cents a barrel, martial law had come and gone, the Railroad Commission was shutting the field in and reopening it, and courts were striking down proration orders by the dozen. A discovery on the far edge of a field nobody could sell oil out of was not an easy thing to finance.
What it produced
More than 70.7 million barrels have come out of Cherokee County since. In 2004 the county still produced nearly 291,600 barrels of oil and about 13.8 million cubic feet of gas-well gas. That is a respectable century for a county that is mostly known for tomatoes and the town of Rusk.
The part that is happening now
Here is why this county is interesting in 2026 rather than 1933.
The Haynesville fairway has a western edge, a line past which the rock stops being worth seventeen thousand feet of hole. Nobody knows exactly where that line is, because the only way to find out is to drill.
Caturus Energy permitted a well in Cherokee County in 2026. Jamex and Faulconer Energy have permitted here as well, alongside long-standing operators Valence Operating, Mud Creek Operating and Sabine Oil & Gas.
If the deep rock works this far west, ownership in Cherokee and neighboring Rusk gets re-priced. If it does not, it stays a legacy oil county with modest gas. Nobody knows yet. That uncertainty is real and we will not pretend otherwise when we price your interest.
What to know if you own here
- Shallow production and deep potential are separate assets. Do not let a small oil check tell you what the deep rights are worth, or assume they are worth a lot.
- Check whether your lease covers all depths. In a county where the deep is being tested right now, this is not academic.
- Interests here date to the mid-thirties and carry the same inheritance problems as the rest of the old field.
Sources: Handbook of Texas (Texas State Historical Association) county and field entries; American Oil & Gas Historical Society; Texas Almanac; Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas energy research; Railroad Commission of Texas permit and completion records as published through texas-drilling.com and the weekly drilling reports of the Longview News-Journal and Tyler Morning Telegraph. Verified August 2026.
Who is operating in Cherokee County
These operators have filed permits or completions in Cherokee County with the Railroad Commission. If your check comes from one of them, we already know the wells.
- Caturus Energy
- Jamex
- Faulconer Energy
- Valence Operating
- Mud Creek Operating
What we buy in Cherokee County
Mineral rights, royalty interests, overriding royalty, non-participating royalty, non-operated working interest, and non-producing minerals. There is no size limit in either direction. We buy a single interest in one unit and we buy whole family positions.
If your piece feels too small to bother with, call anyway. Small interests in the same tract usually belong to relatives, and we would rather work with the whole family at once.
How an offer gets made
You call or fill out the form. We pull the county records, the appraisal district roll and the Railroad Commission production history ourselves. Within three business days you get a specific cash number in writing and a plain explanation of how we got there. If we think you should hold, we say that too. We cover title, recording and closing, and you keep every royalty check until the day we close.
Call or text (936) 289-3438 Or email offers@longleafmineralco.com
Cherokee County questions
What formations produce in Cherokee County?
The producing formations we track in Cherokee County are the Cotton Valley and Travis Peak. In short: dry gas country. The Haynesville, Bossier and Cotton Valley run underneath this county. Ask your operator or check your division order to see which formation your own check comes from.
Who operates wells in Cherokee County?
Operators that have filed permits or completions in Cherokee County with the Texas Railroad Commission include Caturus Energy, Jamex, Faulconer Energy, Valence Operating and Mud Creek Operating. If your check comes from one of them, we already know the wells. You can also look up any well yourself in the Railroad Commission's public records.
What should I check before selling minerals in Cherokee County?
Shallow production and deep potential are separate assets. Do not let a small oil check tell you what the deep rights are worth, or assume they are worth a lot. Check whether your lease covers all depths. In a county where the deep is being tested right now, this is not academic. Interests here date to the mid-thirties and carry the same inheritance problems as the rest of the old field. If any of that is unclear, call or text us and we will look it up with you for free. We also buy in the counties that border Cherokee County: Smith County, Rusk County, Nacogdoches County, Angelina County, Houston County and Anderson County.
Other counties we buy in
Own minerals next door too? We also buy in the counties that border Cherokee County: Smith County, Rusk County, Nacogdoches County, Angelina County, Houston County, Anderson County.