Cooper Park was established in 1883 by Nelson Story, Walter A. Cooper, and their wives. The park was deeded to the City of Bozeman on August 27, 1890. The park was originally named "City Park" By Story and Cooper. The name was changed to Cooper Park on May 8th 1924 after Walter Coopers death. In the 1930's there were extensive improvements made to the park, including tree planting and installation of underground restrooms. Most of the trees that were planted during this time were spruce and cottonwoods and many have been replaced over time with elms and other more desirable species. Lights were installed in the 1970's for safety and vandalism prevention. In the late 1980's, underground irrigation sprinklers were installed to water the park. The park was included in the Cooper Park Historic District that was established in 1996.