Rita Blanca National Grassland is a protected remnant of southern High Plains shortgrass prairie near Texline, spanning the northwestern Texas and western Oklahoma panhandles. Covering 92,989 acres, mostly in Texas, it originated in the federal response to the Dust Bowl, when failed cropland was purchased and restored, and Congress formally approved it in 1960 along with nearby Kiowa National Grassland. Named for Rita Blanca, or Little White River, a local stream, it consists of scattered U.S. Forest Service tracts among private land. Its semi-arid prairie preserves native wildlife and an especially diverse plant community, making it important both ecologically and historically.