Coahoma, Texas, Howard County. (original) (raw)

Coahoma United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2009

History in a Pecan Shell

The most likely source of the name is from Coahoma County, Mississippi, which may have been suggested by a transplanted native. Prior to this name, it was known as Signal Mountain after the nearby peak.

The Texas and Pacific Railroad arrived in the early 1880s on its way to El Paso and the community soon became a shipping point. A school opened the same year the railroad arrived. By 1904 the town had acquired a post office. Oil was discovered in the 1920s and the railroad increased the importance of the town for drilling.

The population had increased to 600 by the late 20s and the town actually gained residents during the Great Depression (to just over 800). For the 1960 census 1,200 people were reported, hitting a high point of 2,000 just ten years later.

In 2000 Coahoma�s population had declined to 932.

Photographer's Note:
"This is another Interstate bypassed town, too close to Big Spring for any reason to stop." - Barclay Gibson, December 2009

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