Chisholm Trail Copperas Cove Cattle Specie — Coryell County

A branch of the Chisholm Trail passed through Coryell County, and the area around Copperas Cove served as a camping ground for trail drivers. When the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built track across southern Coryell in 1882, residents moved Coperas Cove two miles northeast to the rails. By 1884 Copperas Cove had steam grist and saw mills, cotton gins, five general stores, a hotel, and 150 residents. Cattle remained central until farming dominated after 1900; the town's private bank opened in 1906. Trail folklore imagines drovers burying wages, gambling winnings, or merchant strongboxes near overnight camps and mineral springs. Coordinates mark downtown Copperas Cove on U.S. Highway 190.