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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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