Why Delta County Is Shaped Like a Triangle

The Texas Legislature created Delta County on July 29, 1870, from parts of Hopkins and Lamar counties. The county covers about 278 square miles in the Blackland Prairies region. The rivers that form its boundaries — the North Sulphur to the north and the South Sulphur to the south — come together at the eastern edge, giving the county its pointed delta shape.

The county seat, Cooper, was named after Leroy Cooper, who chaired the Texas House Committee on Counties and Boundaries at the time. Cotton farming drove the early economy. By 1890 farmers were growing more than 23,000 acres of cotton. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached the county in 1887 and helped small towns grow. The Handbook of Texas entry on Delta County covers the full history.