COOPERTON, OKLAHOMA

THEN

NOW

Cooperton is located 9 miles east of Roosevelt and was named for Captain Frank Cooper, a member of the David L. Payne Boomer Colony in the Cherokee Outlet. According to one geology theory, the divide north of Cooperton between the limestone mountains (commonly called the Slick Hills) and the Wichita Mountains was the end of the ice age. The Slick hills were called that because they had little or no timber growing, while the Wichitas were covered. The huge sea of ice moved like a giant bulldozer moving everything in front of it and when it got to the Wichitas, dropped it's load. Time allowed the soil to level forming Cooperton Valley.

The town was planned in 1899 and the company formed by Frank Cooper a former CSA captain had 300 members. He thought the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservation would be opened by a "run" and when it wasn't, he asked for and received 320 acres set aside for his people as a townsite. At the time the country was covered with Grama and Blue Stem grass, the creeks were full of water and fish and bears were numerous. Cooperton was a trading post, consisting of 2 or 3 tents and a one room building under construction. The building was used as a doctor, dentist and assay office. The post office was established in Feb. 1901.

It grew to a general store, livery stable, feed yard, lumberyard and a bank. By 1903, it also had a cotton gin, cigar factory, blacksmith shop, churches and school. A weekly newspaper "The Banner" was published. The town is surrounded by rich farming country. Due to mechanized farming, highly inflated farm prices, good roads and better transportation by truck many people moved from Cooperton. The high school closed in 1965 and the grade school in 1972.


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