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 bridge, 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.