Delta County, Texas

Delta County Education, Geography, and History

Delta County is a county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 5,231. Its county seat and largest city is Cooper. The county was founded in 1870 and is named for its triangular shape, much like the Greek letter delta.

Etymology - Origin of Delta County Name

its triangular shape, much like the Greek letter Delta

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Delta County History

Delta County is a county located in the US state of Texas.It is named for its triangular shape, much like the Greek letter Delta. Two forks of the Sulphur River form its northern and southern boundaries, and meet at its easternmost point. Its seat is Cooper

Handbook of Texas Online
At the end of the war the pioneers who had settled between the two rivers turned their attention to rebuilding an agricultural and herding economy. As the less-isolated county seats of Hopkins and Lamar Counties grew and developed, people from the river delta were forced to travel long distances over inadequate dirt roads and to cross waterways that were often flooded for long periods of time. In 1868 they petitioned the legislature to form a new county that would include parts of Hopkins, Lamar, Hunt, and Fannin counties. After much debate, Texas lawmakers granted their request on July 29, 1870, but only after excluding Hunt and Fannin counties because neither wished to be included. Governor Edmund J. Davis designated a five-man board of commissioners to organize the new district, to be called Delta County for its triangular shape. The county seat would be a new town named Cooper after Leroy Cooper, chairman of the House Committee on Counties and Boundaries, and situated directly between the North and South Sulphur rivers. Erastus Blackwell was appointed sheriff to supervise land sales. The first county election was held on October 6, 1870, to organize the municipal government, and Charles S. Nidever, John P. Boyd, J. F. Alexander, Alfred Allen, and J. M. Bledsoe were elected the first county commissioners. County organization, however, failed to settle continuing political divisions. In the election of 1872, Horace Greeley, the liberal Republican candidate endorsed by the Democrats, captured 50 percent of the vote, while Republican Ulysses S. Grant received 40 percent. Although the entire state became solidly Democratic after Governor Davis was defeated in 1873 by Democrat Richard Coke, the Republican party remained an important factor in Delta County politics. In 1876 local voters chose Democrat Samuel B. Tilden over Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, but only by a narrow margin of sixty-one votes. More at
Vista K. McCroskey, "DELTA COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcd05), accessed January 23, 2016. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 278 square miles (720 km²), of which, 277 square miles (718 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Lamar County (north and northeast)
• Red River County (east-northeast, a very short border at the eastern point of the county)
• Franklin County (east-southeast, a very short border at the eastern point of the county)
• Hopkins County (south and southeast)
• Hunt County (southwest)
• Fannin County (northwest)
  

Education

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