Cokelan: A Historical Overview of the Lost Community in Palo Pinto County
Published: June 8, 2004
Cokelan was a small community located about fourteen miles northeast of Palo Pinto in northeastern Palo Pinto County. Founded about the late 1870s as a trading post in the valley of Keechi Creek, the village served as an agricultural center and stagecoach stop. A post office was established in 1877, and by 1884 Cokelan had a population of 150 according to the Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Cotton, wool, and livestock were shipped from the community, which had two churches and two general stores. A. H. Smith was listed as blacksmith and F. G. Paine was a town physician. Two carpenters, T. J. Brim and D. T. Ratliff, also served the area. Cokelan's post office closed in 1887, and in the 1890s residents moved to the more centrally located ranching center of Graford. The village of Cokelan did not appear on maps by the 1930s.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Laurie E. Jasinski, “Cokelan, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cokelan-tx.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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HVCAH
- June 8, 2004
