This narrow strip of sandy timberland, called the Eastern Cross Timbers, separates the Blackland Prairie and the Grand Prairie and covers about one million acres. Indians camped here because the mild climate, good soil, frequent rains, and nearby prairies supported large herds of buffalo and horses. There were salt licks, fresh water springs, trees for fuel, good grass, and game for food and hides. West of the Grand Prairie, the Western Cross Timbers covers about 2.7 million acres. During the 18th century, Wichita Indians of Caddoan stock roamed this area, and southern plains tribes such as the Kiowa and the Comanche often wintered here and traded with them. Cultural exchanges occurred here as trade routes developed between flint sources in the south and tribes from the north. By 1720 French traders came, opened trading posts, and bartered with the Indians. The Spanish moved through, traveling to their mission outposts. Settlement in the 1840s by Anglo-Americans led to clashes. A turning point came on May 24, 1841, with the battle of Village Creek, a few miles west of this site. The Indians withdrew to the west, leaving the land to the white settlers.