Tag Archives: Texas Drive

Welcome to Cooper, Texas

Driving down Texas roads, there’s really no telling where one might end up. You could come across a big ole city like Dallas, Austin or San Antonio or there’s hundreds of little towns in between (like Cooper). Some will say, all the small towns look alike. I beg to differ. Each has their unique traits whether it be a crazy looking old house on the corner, a killer high school football stadium that is what “Friday Night Lights” is all about or it could be the population of three.

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Small towns are one of the things that I love about Texas. Finding the court houses and seeing how each is different, the faded paint on the side of brick buildings, town squares, small Mom and Pop stores, antiques or just an old building to take a photo of. Some towns are so small it takes a couple minutes to find the “center of town”, its kind of funny when you think about it.

 

With that said, here is a little town called Cooper. I loved stopping in this town for its buildings. The craziest part was when I got home that night, I happened to have the TV on and 60 Minutes came on and told a story about the Warrior Dog Foundation in, you guessed it, Cooper, Texas. Established by a Navy SEAL, the Warrior Dog Foundation trains K-9’s which gives back to the Navy SEAL’s and the special operations community. (Read more on their website.) I wish I had known that before getting home.

Located an hour and 20 minutes northeast of Dallas, directly north of Sulphur Springs (off Hwy 30) is Cooper. Here’s a glimpse of my favorite shots while passing thru.

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If you haven’t guessed it by now, Cooper is an agricultural town. Situated in Delta County, Cooper was established in 1870 by L.W. Cooper of Houston. By 1885, the town was alive and well (with it’s own Post Office). With the coming of the Texas Midland Railroad, the population jumped to 1,000 people by 1896 including a bank, shoemaker, hotel, numerous mills and two weekly papers (among other establishments). Fast forward nearly 100 years to 1970 – over sixty businesses including seed cleaning plants and multiple dairies. This is an agricultural town. 2013 population: 1,977

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Have you ever been / passed thru Cooper? What’s your favorite small town?

Historical Information retrieved from the Texas State Historical Association

Wordless Wednesday: Texas Country Drives

If you’ve been following my posts, last Saturday I found myself just wandering thru Texas country. There is nothing like it, the open roads, Texas country playing on the radio, few other drivers, scenic views and just the rustic west. Every so often, you come across something completely unexpected. It’s nice.
These are some pictures from the first leg of my drive. Even though I technically wasn’t that far away from the city, it felt like a being a world away. That was nice. Maybe everything really is bigger in Texas!
  
Route taken: 820 W, Exits Las Vegas Trail and Silver Creek Road then I found my way down Old Weatherford Road – Lake Worth / White Settlement / West Fort Worth.
Today I’m linking up with The Paper Mama, Jenni From the Blog and Project Alicia for {Wordless Wednesday}.