A strong southerly bend in the Canadian River was once located here, but the river’s course was permanently changed after construction of the Lake Eufaula Dam in 1964. The bend is thought to have been named for Cole Younger, who served in the Civil War as a member of Quantrill's Raiders and operated in this area from 1862 to 1864. After the war, Cole Younger and his brothers joined Frank and Jesse James in the James-Younger Gang. Though many other famous outlaws of the time visited the place, it is best known as the home of Sam and Belle Starr from 1880 to 1889. Both lived here until the separate events of their untimely deaths, and it remains the quiet final resting place of Belle Starr.