The town began in 1926 when oil was discovered in the Hendrick oil field in Winkler County. By the next year, the Wink Townsite Co. began selling lots on a local ranch. The oil...

The town began in 1926 when oil was discovered in the Hendrick oil field in Winkler County. By the next year, the Wink Townsite Co. began selling lots on a local ranch. The oil boom brought new people to the town causing a shortage of housing. Wink was originally named Winkler, in honor of C.M. Winkler, a colonel in the Confederate Army, a member of the Texas legislature and a justice of the Court of Civil Appeals, and for whom the county was named; however, the post office said there was already a Winkler and the name was shortened to Wink. Today, Wink’s economy is still based on the petroleum industry, as well as ranching.