Cross Timbers
Encyclopedia
The term Cross Timbers is used to describe a strip of land in the United States
that runs from southeastern Kansas
across Central Oklahoma
to Central Texas. Made up of a mix of prairie
, savanna
, and woodland
, it forms part of the boundary between the more heavily forested eastern part of the country and the almost treeless Great Plains
, and also marks the western habitat
limit of many mammal
s and insect
s.
No major metropolitan areas lie wholly within the Cross Timbers, although roughly the western half of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex does, including the cities of Fort Worth, Denton, Arlington, and Weatherford. The western suburb
s of the Tulsa metropolitan area and the northeastern suburbs of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area
also lie within this area. The main highways that cross the region are I-35 and I-35W going north to south (although they tend to skirt the Cross Timbers' eastern fringe south of Fort Worth) and I-40 going east to west. Numerous U.S. Highways also cross the area.
as Ecoregion 29, a Level III ecoregion. Some organizations and maps refer to the Cross Timbers ecoregion as the Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains. The Cross Timbers are contained within the WWF Central forest-grasslands transition
ecoregion.
The woodland and savanna portions of the Cross Timbers are mainly post oak
and blackjack oak
on coarse, sandy soils; fire suppression in recent years has increased forest density and allowed Eastern redcedar
to invade as well. The short, stout oaks that grow in the Cross Timbers were no good for timber and those that were not cleared for farmland constitute one of the least disturbed forest types in the eastern United States, with some 890000 acres (3,601.7 km²) of old-growth forest scattered throughout the region. These old-growth forests contain millions of post oak from 200 to 400 years old and redcedar over 500 years old. The prairie portions are chiefly tallgrass
on finer, dry soils; overall, the Cross Timbers are not as arable
as the surrounding ecoregions. Today, land use
is a mixture of rangeland
, pasture
s, and farmland
. The area has also been an important site of oil extraction for over eighty years.
Geologically
speaking, the Cross Timbers are underlain by Pennsylvanian
and Cretaceous
-era sandstone
and limestone
that has been moderately dissected
, giving the region a gently to moderately rolling topography
, including some cuesta
s. Although local relief
is relatively low, it is generally greater than that in the surrounding ecoregions, although this is not the case with the Flint Hills in Kansas.
Ecologically
, the EPA includes the Cross Timbers as part of the vast Great Plains
, which comprise Level I Ecoregion 9.0, stretching from central Alberta
in Canada
to northern Mexico
. More specifically, the Cross Timbers fall into Level II Ecoregion 9.4, the smaller South Central Semi-Arid Plains. In southern Oklahoma, the Cross Timbers are literally located on the very edge of the Great Plains, as they border directly onto parts of Level I Ecoregion 8.0, the Eastern Temperate Forests; elsewhere, the Cross Timbers are separated slightly from the Eastern Temperate Forests. In turn, the Cross Timbers are themselves subdivided into nine Level IV Ecoregions:
fall within this large area; Bartlesville and Okmulgee lie on the eastern edge.
to just north of Waco, Texas
. It passes through northwestern Grayson County, eastern Cooke, Denton and Tarrant counties, central Johnson County, western Hill County, and northern McClennan County. The city of Arlington, Texas
lies within this zone, and Denton and Cleburne are on its western edge.
A much wider band than the Eastern Cross Timbers, the Western Cross Timbers extend from far southern Oklahoma, including parts of Love
and Carter
counties, into central Texas, where it covers large parts of Montague
, Young
, Jack
, Wise
, Stephens
, Palo Pinto
, Parker
, Eastland
, Erath
, Brown
, San Saba
, and Mills
counties, as well as smaller parts of Clay
, Cooke
, Callahan
, Hood, Coleman, and McCulloch
counties. In Texas, this area includes the towns of Weatherford
and Mineral Wells
; Stephenville
lies on the eastern fringe, while Brownwood
is on the western edge.
The part of this region north of I-20
is sometimes colloquially referred to as the Palo Pinto Mountains
; the hills are isolated, rugged, and scenic, with spectacular bluffs
along the Brazos River
as it flows through the region.
Coal mining
has historically been an important activity, as bituminous coal
deposits are found throughout the region; indeed, the town of Newcastle
in Young County was named after the English city
of the same name due to the coal connection.
Historically speaking, in the mid-to-late 19th century, Comanche
Indians
occupied this area, and it became a flash point
for conflict between various groups of white settlers, the Comanche, and the U.S. Cavalry; Forts
Belknap
and Richardson
were built in the area to protect this part of the frontier.
Numerous roads cross this region, including US 70 in Oklahoma and I-20, I-30, US 67, US 81, US 82, US 180, US 183, US 281, US 287, and US 380 in Texas.
, and land use from both of these, as it is much more nearly level and better suited to agriculture
. It includes a small part of Love County, Oklahoma
(the only part of this region outside of Texas) and passes south through western Cooke County, eastern Wise County, and western Denton, Tarrant, and Johnson counties, and also includes parts of Parker, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Hill, and McClennan counties. This region contains the cities of Fort Worth, Granbury and Denton, although Denton lies on the border with the Eastern Cross Timbers. I-35 and I-35W cross north to south, while US 82, US 380, I-30, I-20, US 377, and US 67 cross east to west; US 81 and US 287 also cross southwest to northeast.
counties, large parts of Bell
, Lampasas
, Mills
, Erath
, and Bosque
counties, and smaller parts of Williamson
, Burnet
, Brown
, Comanche
, Hood, Somervell
, and McClennan
counties, including the towns of Killeen
, Copperas Cove
, and Lampasas
as well as the Fort Hood Army
base, fall within in this region. Among the few major roads that cross the Limestone Cut Plains are US 281 north to south and US 84 east to west.
across northwestern Palo Pinto County into eastern Stephens County, as well as tiny parts of Young and Eastland counties. The region features a limestone substrate as opposed to sandstone, and has greater topographical relief and denser and different vegetation than other parts of the Cross Timbers. No towns of any size lie within this area, although Possum Kingdom Lake
and State Park
do; the region is crossed by US 180 and Texas State Highway 16.
s, this region includes the town of Ardmore.
in deeper river canyons. The town of Duncan, Oklahoma
lies in this region.
are located in a small area nestled in between regions 29g and h; it is made of folded
, rather than dissected, limestone, sandstone, and dolomite
, and features the greatest topographical relief of the entire Cross Timbers, though not the highest elevations. The landscape includes many caves, sinkhole
s, springs
, and streams. I-35 crosses this region north to south.
which separates humid air from the Gulf of Mexico
from the dry air of the Llano Estacado
, the Texas Panhandle
, and the High Plains
.
, in 1835, described it as "like struggling through forests of cast iron." Josiah Gregg
described the Cross Timbers in 1845 as varying in width from five to thirty miles and attributed their denseness to the continual burning of the prairies.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that runs from southeastern Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
across Central Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma is the geographical name for the central region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is also known by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism designation, Frontier Country....
to Central Texas. Made up of a mix of prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
, savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
, and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, it forms part of the boundary between the more heavily forested eastern part of the country and the almost treeless Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, and also marks the western habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
limit of many mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
No major metropolitan areas lie wholly within the Cross Timbers, although roughly the western half of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex does, including the cities of Fort Worth, Denton, Arlington, and Weatherford. The western suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s of the Tulsa metropolitan area and the northeastern suburbs of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area
Oklahoma City metropolitan area
-Metro-area suburbs and exurbs:The following communities are suburbs and exurbs of Oklahoma City with populations of at least 1,000 found within the bounds of State Highway 33 to the north, State Highway 18 and US-177 to the east, State Highway 39 and State Highway 9 to the south, and US-81 to the...
also lie within this area. The main highways that cross the region are I-35 and I-35W going north to south (although they tend to skirt the Cross Timbers' eastern fringe south of Fort Worth) and I-40 going east to west. Numerous U.S. Highways also cross the area.
As an ecoregion
The Cross Timbers are defined by the United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
as Ecoregion 29, a Level III ecoregion. Some organizations and maps refer to the Cross Timbers ecoregion as the Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains. The Cross Timbers are contained within the WWF Central forest-grasslands transition
Central forest-grasslands transition
The Central forest-grasslands transition are a prairie ecoregion of the central United States, part of the North American Great Plains.-Setting:...
ecoregion.
The woodland and savanna portions of the Cross Timbers are mainly post oak
Post oak
Quercus stellata is an oak in the white oak group. It is a small tree, typically 10–15 m tall and 30–60 cm trunk diameter, though occasional specimens reach 30 m tall and 140 cm diameter. It is native to the eastern United States, from Connecticut in the northeast, west to southern Iowa, southwest...
and blackjack oak
Blackjack oak
Quercus marilandica is a small oak, one of the red oak group Quercus sect. Lobatae, but fairly isolated from the others...
on coarse, sandy soils; fire suppression in recent years has increased forest density and allowed Eastern redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
Juniperus virginiana is a species of juniper native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Great Plains...
to invade as well. The short, stout oaks that grow in the Cross Timbers were no good for timber and those that were not cleared for farmland constitute one of the least disturbed forest types in the eastern United States, with some 890000 acres (3,601.7 km²) of old-growth forest scattered throughout the region. These old-growth forests contain millions of post oak from 200 to 400 years old and redcedar over 500 years old. The prairie portions are chiefly tallgrass
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
on finer, dry soils; overall, the Cross Timbers are not as arable
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
as the surrounding ecoregions. Today, land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
is a mixture of rangeland
Rangeland
Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...
, pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
s, and farmland
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
. The area has also been an important site of oil extraction for over eighty years.
Geologically
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
speaking, the Cross Timbers are underlain by Pennsylvanian
Pennsylvanian
The Pennsylvanian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the younger of two subperiods of the Carboniferous Period. It lasted from roughly . As with most other geochronologic units, the rock beds that define the Pennsylvanian are well identified, but the exact date of the start and end are uncertain...
and Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
-era sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
that has been moderately dissected
Dissected plateau
A dissected plateau is a plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp. Such an area may be referred to as mountainous, but dissected plateaus are distinguishable from orogenic mountain belts by the lack of folding, metamorphism, extensive faulting, or magmatic activity...
, giving the region a gently to moderately rolling topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, including some cuesta
Cuesta
In structural geology and geomorphology, a cuesta is a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure. Cuestas have a steep slope, where the rock layers are exposed on their edges, called an escarpment or, if more steep, a cliff...
s. Although local relief
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
is relatively low, it is generally greater than that in the surrounding ecoregions, although this is not the case with the Flint Hills in Kansas.
Ecologically
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, the EPA includes the Cross Timbers as part of the vast Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, which comprise Level I Ecoregion 9.0, stretching from central Alberta
Central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. More specifically, the Cross Timbers fall into Level II Ecoregion 9.4, the smaller South Central Semi-Arid Plains. In southern Oklahoma, the Cross Timbers are literally located on the very edge of the Great Plains, as they border directly onto parts of Level I Ecoregion 8.0, the Eastern Temperate Forests; elsewhere, the Cross Timbers are separated slightly from the Eastern Temperate Forests. In turn, the Cross Timbers are themselves subdivided into nine Level IV Ecoregions:
29a: Northern Cross Timbers
A wide belt of land stretching from south-central Oklahoma into southeastern Kansas, this is the only part of the Cross Timbers that extends into Kansas. In that state, it covers eastern Chautauqua and Elk counties and smaller portions of Greenwood, Woodson, Wilson, and Montgomery counties, while in Oklahoma, this region covers all of Seminole, Pottawatomie, and Okfuskee counties, large parts of Osage, Lincoln, Creek, Oklahoma, Cleveland, Pontotoc, Hughes, McIntosh, and Okmulgee counties, and smaller parts of Logan, Garvin, Murray, Pawnee, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Washington counties. The towns of Sapulpa, Ada, and Shawnee, OklahomaShawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
fall within this large area; Bartlesville and Okmulgee lie on the eastern edge.
29b: Eastern Cross Timbers
In Oklahoma, this belt of woodland covers all of Marshall County and parts of Love, Carter, Johnston, and Bryan counties, but in Texas, this region exists as a long, very narrow strip of dense forest stretching from the Red RiverRed River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
to just north of Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
. It passes through northwestern Grayson County, eastern Cooke, Denton and Tarrant counties, central Johnson County, western Hill County, and northern McClennan County. The city of Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
lies within this zone, and Denton and Cleburne are on its western edge.
29c: Western Cross Timbers
Love County, Oklahoma
Love County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population is 8,831. Its county seat is Marietta.Love County is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and Carter
Carter County, Oklahoma
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 47,557. Its county seat is Ardmore.Carter County is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
counties, into central Texas, where it covers large parts of Montague
Montague County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,117 people, 7,770 households, and 5,485 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 9,862 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
, Young
Young County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,943 people, 7,167 households, and 5,081 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 8,504 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
, Jack
Jack County, Texas
*Bryson*Jacksboro*Jermyn *Joplin *Perrin *Gibtown-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Jack County, Texas-External links:*...
, Wise
Wise County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 19,242 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, Stephens
Stephens County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,674 people, 3,661 households, and 2,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 4,893 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
, Palo Pinto
Palo Pinto County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,026 people, 10,594 households, and 7,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile . There were 14,102 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, Parker
Parker County, Texas
As of the census of 2003, there were 98,495 people, 31,131 households, and 24,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile . There were 34,084 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, Eastland
Eastland County, Texas
*Carbon*Cisco*Desdemona, a ghost town*Eastland*Gorman*Mangum*Olden*Ranger*Rising Star*Romney-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Eastland County, Texas*Santa Claus Bank Robbery-External links:** at the University of Texas*...
, Erath
Erath County, Texas
Erath County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 33,001. It is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Stephenville....
, Brown
Brown County, Texas
Brown County is a county in West Central Texas. As of 2000, the population was 37,674. Its county seat is Brownwood. Brown is named for Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco...
, San Saba
San Saba County, Texas
San Saba County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Western Central Texas. In 2010, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is San Saba. It is named for the San Saba River, which flows through the county.-History:...
, and Mills
Mills County, Texas
Mills County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 5,151. Mills County is named for John T. Mills, a justice of the Texas Supreme Court...
counties, as well as smaller parts of Clay
Clay County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
, Cooke
Cooke County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,363 people, 13,643 households, and 10,000 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 15,061 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, Callahan
Callahan County, Texas
*Baird*Belle Plain*Callahan City*Clyde*Cottonwood*Cross Plains*Eula*Putnam-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Callahan County, Texas-External links:* at the University of Texas*...
, Hood, Coleman, and McCulloch
McCulloch County, Texas
McCulloch County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. The geographical center of Texas lies within the county. In 2000, its population was 8,205. Its county seat is Brady. McCulloch is named for Benjamin McCulloch, a famous Texas Ranger and Confederate...
counties. In Texas, this area includes the towns of Weatherford
Weatherford, Texas
Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.-Geography:...
and Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
; Stephenville
Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,921 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1856, it is home to Tarleton State University. Stephenville is among several communities that calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the...
lies on the eastern fringe, while Brownwood
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
is on the western edge.
The part of this region north of I-20
Interstate 20 in Texas
Interstate 20 in Texas is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, running east from a junction with Interstate 10 east of Kent, Texas, through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the border with Louisiana near Waskom, Texas...
is sometimes colloquially referred to as the Palo Pinto Mountains
Palo Pinto Mountains
The term Palo Pinto Mountains properly refers to a specific cuesta-like range of hills in western Palo Pinto County, Texas. The name Palo Pinto roughly translates to "painted stick" in reference to the juniper trees of the area...
; the hills are isolated, rugged, and scenic, with spectacular bluffs
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
along the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
as it flows through the region.
Coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
has historically been an important activity, as bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
deposits are found throughout the region; indeed, the town of Newcastle
Newcastle, Texas
Newcastle is a city in Young County, Texas, United States. Following the beginning of coal mining in 1908, the town was established and named for the English coal town, Newcastle upon Tyne. Coal mining had ended by 1942...
in Young County was named after the English city
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
of the same name due to the coal connection.
Historically speaking, in the mid-to-late 19th century, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
occupied this area, and it became a flash point
Flashpoint (politics)
In international relations, a flashpoint is an area or dispute that has a strong possibility of developing into a war.-Current flashpoints:* the Taiwan straits* Korea peninsula* the Golan heights* Israeli-Lebanon border* Kashmir* the Spratly Islands...
for conflict between various groups of white settlers, the Comanche, and the U.S. Cavalry; Forts
Forts of Texas
The Forts of Texas include a number of historical and operational military installations. For over two hundred years, various groups fought over access to or control over the region that is now Texas...
Belknap
Fort Belknap (Newcastle, Texas)
Fort Belknap, located near Newcastle, Texas, was established in 1851 by brevet Brigadier William G. Belknap to protect the Texas frontier against raids by the Kiowa and Comanche. It was the northernmost fort in a line from the Rio Grande to the Red River...
and Richardson
Fort Richardson, Texas
Fort Richardson was an United States Army installation located one mile south of Jacksboro, Texas. Named in honor of Union General Israel B...
were built in the area to protect this part of the frontier.
Numerous roads cross this region, including US 70 in Oklahoma and I-20, I-30, US 67, US 81, US 82, US 180, US 183, US 281, US 287, and US 380 in Texas.
29d: Grand Prairie
A fairly narrow strip dividing the Eastern and Western Cross Timbers, the Grand Prairie differs in physiography, topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, and land use from both of these, as it is much more nearly level and better suited to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. It includes a small part of Love County, Oklahoma
Love County, Oklahoma
Love County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population is 8,831. Its county seat is Marietta.Love County is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
(the only part of this region outside of Texas) and passes south through western Cooke County, eastern Wise County, and western Denton, Tarrant, and Johnson counties, and also includes parts of Parker, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Hill, and McClennan counties. This region contains the cities of Fort Worth, Granbury and Denton, although Denton lies on the border with the Eastern Cross Timbers. I-35 and I-35W cross north to south, while US 82, US 380, I-30, I-20, US 377, and US 67 cross east to west; US 81 and US 287 also cross southwest to northeast.
29e: Limestone Cut Plains
A broader, southern extension of the Grand Prairie, found only in Texas; it is underlain by limestone rather than sandstone, and serves as a physiological and vegetational transition to the Edwards Plateau, which it borders to the south. All of Hamilton and CoryellCoryell County, Texas
Coryell County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 74,978. The county seat is Gatesville. Coryell County forms part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area...
counties, large parts of Bell
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
, Lampasas
Lampasas County, Texas
Lampasas County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 17,762. Its seat is Lampasas. The county is named for the Lampasas River....
, Mills
Mills County, Texas
Mills County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 5,151. Mills County is named for John T. Mills, a justice of the Texas Supreme Court...
, Erath
Erath County, Texas
Erath County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 33,001. It is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Stephenville....
, and Bosque
Bosque County, Texas
Bosque County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,204. Its county seat is Meridian. Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque River, which runs through...
counties, and smaller parts of Williamson
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
, Burnet
Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 34,147. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate was 44,488. Its county seat is Burnet. Burnet is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas...
, Brown
Brown County, Texas
Brown County is a county in West Central Texas. As of 2000, the population was 37,674. Its county seat is Brownwood. Brown is named for Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco...
, Comanche
Comanche County, Texas
Comanche County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 14,026. Comanche was founded in 1856. Comanche is named for the Comanche Native American tribe...
, Hood, Somervell
Somervell County, Texas
There were 2,438 households out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had...
, and McClennan
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....
counties, including the towns of Killeen
Killeen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...
, Copperas Cove
Copperas Cove, Texas
Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000...
, and Lampasas
Lampasas, Texas
Lampasas is a city in Lampasas County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,786 at the 2000 census. It is the seat of Lampasas County.Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
as well as the Fort Hood Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
base, fall within in this region. Among the few major roads that cross the Limestone Cut Plains are US 281 north to south and US 84 east to west.
29f: Carbonate Cross Timbers
This ecoregion exists as an enclave within the Western Cross Timbers, stretching from southern Jack County, TexasJack County, Texas
*Bryson*Jacksboro*Jermyn *Joplin *Perrin *Gibtown-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Jack County, Texas-External links:*...
across northwestern Palo Pinto County into eastern Stephens County, as well as tiny parts of Young and Eastland counties. The region features a limestone substrate as opposed to sandstone, and has greater topographical relief and denser and different vegetation than other parts of the Cross Timbers. No towns of any size lie within this area, although Possum Kingdom Lake
Possum Kingdom Lake
Possum Kingdom Lake , is a reservoir on the Brazos River located primarily in Palo Pinto County Texas. It was the first water supply reservoir constructed in the Brazos River basin. The lake has an area of approximately with of shoreline...
and State Park
Possum Kingdom State Park
Possum Kingdom State Park is a state park in Palo Pinto County, Texas, that was built in the 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It covers approximately , and lies in the Palo Pinto Mountains and Brazos River Valley of Texas. The park borders the large Possum Kingdom Lake, a lake known for...
do; the region is crossed by US 180 and Texas State Highway 16.
29g: Arbuckle Uplift
Covering a fairly small area in south-central Oklahoma and underlain by a unique mosaic of several different mineralMineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, this region includes the town of Ardmore.
29h: Northwestern Cross Timbers
An extension in two branches of the Cross Timbers into southwestern Oklahoma, this area features reduced tree density and height, but also small forests dominated by sugar mapleSugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
in deeper river canyons. The town of Duncan, Oklahoma
Duncan, Oklahoma
Duncan is a city in Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 23,431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stephens County.The official birthdate of the town is considered to be when the first train arrived there on June 27, 1892...
lies in this region.
29i: Arbuckle Mountains
The Arbuckle MountainsArbuckle Mountains
The Arbuckle Mountains are an ancient mountain range in south-central Oklahoma in the United States. The granite rocks of the Arbuckles date back to the Proterozoic Era some 1.4 billion years ago which were overlain by sediments during the Paleozoic Era. The range reaches a height of 1,412 feet...
are located in a small area nestled in between regions 29g and h; it is made of folded
Fold (geology)
The term fold is used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified. Folds in rocks vary in...
, rather than dissected, limestone, sandstone, and dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
, and features the greatest topographical relief of the entire Cross Timbers, though not the highest elevations. The landscape includes many caves, sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s, springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
, and streams. I-35 crosses this region north to south.
Climatology
Part of the difference in the Cross Timbers region and the surrounding regions west (dryer) and east (wetter) has to do with the Dry LineDry line
A dry line separates moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and dry desert air from the south-western states . The dry line is an important factor in severe weather frequency in the Great Plains of North America...
which separates humid air from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
from the dry air of the Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
, the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, and the High Plains
High Plains (United States)
The High Plains are a subregion of the Great Plains mostly in the Western United States, but also partly in the Midwest states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota, generally encompassing the western part of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains...
.
History
The thick growth formed an almost impenetrable barrier for early American explorers and travelers. Washington IrvingWashington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
, in 1835, described it as "like struggling through forests of cast iron." Josiah Gregg
Josiah Gregg
Josiah Gregg was a merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico regions. He is most famous for his book Commerce of the Prairies.-Early years:...
described the Cross Timbers in 1845 as varying in width from five to thirty miles and attributed their denseness to the continual burning of the prairies.
Additional reading
- Dale, Edward Everett. The Cross Timbers: Memories of a North Texas Boyhood. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1966. ISBN 0-292-73611-8
- Roach, Joyce. Wild Rose: A Folk History of a Cross Timbers Settlement, Keller, Texas. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, 1996. ISBN 0898659728