"A complex mosaic of dense post oak and blackjack oak forests interspersed with prairies, the Cross Timbers cover large portions of southeastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, and north central Texas. Home to Native Americans over several thousand years, the Cross Timbers were considered a barrier to westward expansion in the nineteenth century, until roads and railroads opened up the region to farmers, ranchers, coal miners, and modern city developers, all of whom changed its character in far-reaching ways." "This landmark book describes the natural environment of the Cross Timbers and the defining role that people have played in transforming the region.". "Illustrated with many historical and contemporary maps and photographs and amplified by earlier writers' descriptions of the region, this book offers a rich historical understanding of what the Cross Timbers once were, what they have become in our time, and how they may fare in the future."--BOOK JACKET.