Cooper

History

The first inhabitants of the area that is now the site of Cooper were the Caddo Indians, who settled large portions of eastern Texas as early as 800 CE. The Caddo were highly advanced, living in large wooden structures, and were skilled farmers. The first European to visit the area was French explorer François Hervey, who discovered the area around 1750. However, a few decades later, some of the Indians caught European diseases and along with attacks from neighboring Indian tribes, forced the Caddo out of the area around Cooper. Around 1820, Delaware, Quapaw, and Seminole tribes settled in the area. In 1836, the Republic of Texas officially recognized the region around Cooper as part of Red River County. In 1840, Lamar County was formed, absorbing the Cooper area. However, just six years later, the region was designated as part of the newly formed Hopkins County. After the Civil War, the region around the site of Cooper began to grow and develop. People in nearby Ben Franklin, Texas, grew tired of the poor road conditions that connected the region. In 1868, people in the area petitioned the state government to create a new county located between the north and south forks of the Sulphur River. On July 29, 1870, after two years of debating, the state of Texas granted the request for the new county. Shortly afterwards, the first settlements were built in Cooper and the town was established. The community was named after Leroy Cooper, the chairman of the Texas House Committee on Counties and Boundaries, who helped establish the new county. Cooper was selected as the seat for the county, which was named Delta County due to its triangular shape. Cooper grew rapidly after being established, with a post office built in the community in 1871. Cooper was incorporated into a…

Geography

Cooper is the county seat of Delta County, as well as its most populated city. According to statistics from the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which (99.31%) is land. About (0.69%) is covered by water. Cooper is located at an elevation of , a few miles north of Cooper Lake, between the north and south forks of the Sulphur River. It is located about northeast of Dallas and west of Texarkana. Texas State Highway 24 bypasses Cooper to the north; however, Texas State Highway 24 Business splits off and passes through the center of the city. Texas State Highway 154 begins at the western edge of Cooper and passes through the center of the city, intersecting Farm to Market Road 1528 near the county courthouse. Farm to Market Road 64 enters the very western portion of Cooper before terminating at State Highway 24. Nearby highways include Farm to Market Road 1880 and Farm to Market Road 1529. The average temperature in Cooper in January is , and in July it is . Its highest recorded temperature was in 1969, and the lowest recorded temperature was in 1989. The average wettest month is October. The average coolest month is January, while the average hottest month is August.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  599
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  552
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  494
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  426
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  387
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  366
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  348
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  329

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2013-12-13
  6 km SSW of Pottsboro, Texas