The Stark Ranch lies in the
Cross Timbers
belt directly at the tip of the "Deep Bend" of the
Red River of Cooke County, Texas
. This location has influenced and shaped its history with a
spring
, two
ferry
crossings, two public
roads
, a railroad
bridge
,
a toll bridge
, a free
, and finally, an important
water pumping station
that linked the Red River to Dallas. Thousands of people have crossed this
borderland
in search of homes and opportunities, from Texans and
Chickasaws
to business people and engineers. By tracing the history of this land from its inhabitants to the infrastructure projects that have defined it, authors John Schmitz and Robin Cole-Jett deftly weave the geography of space with the history of place.