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COPPERAS
COVE, TEXASCoryell
County, North Central Texas
Highway 190 and FM
116
19 miles E of Lampasas
12
miles W of Killeen
26 miles SW of Gatesville
67
miles N of Austin
Population 29,592 (2000)
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History in a Pecan
Shell
Settlement began in the 1870s. The name Cove was submitted for
a post office, but refused due to a prior claim. The application was resubmitted
with the additional word of Copperas added. The name supposedly comes from the
copper-tasting water of a nearby spring. The Copperas Cove post office opened
in 1879.
Copperas Cove was along one of the "feeder routes" of the famous
Chisolm Trail. The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway arrived nearby in 1882
and the townspeople moved the two miles NE in order to enjoy all the economic
advantages the railroad provided.
By 1884 the town had 150 people and
a hotel. By the mid-1890s the population had risen to 300, and a school district
was formed. Cattle production was replaced by farming as the area's major economic
engine in 1900. |
| Camp
Hood
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/
%7Etxpstcrd/
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In
1913 the population was estimated at 600, reaching 650 when the Great Depression
hit. The town's bank failed, and Copperas Cove suffered the fate of many Texas
towns in the 30s. Only 356 people called it home in the early 1940s.
WWII
was a life saver for the town when the government established Camp Hood. The postwar
population grew to 1,052 in the early 50s. Camp Hood became Fort Hood in 1950
and the post became a permanent facility. Growth was such that the town soon grew
into neighboring Lampasas County. The population reached 4,567 in 1960, and more
than doubled to 10,818 by 1970. It nearly doubled again to 19,469 in 1980. |
| | The
Cove Theatre in Copperas Cove
1984 photo courtesy Billy Smith |
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Copperas Cove
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