Westlake in Tarrant County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Westlake and the Cross Timbers
Photographed by Morgan Petermann, June 30, 2025
1. Westlake and the Cross Timbers Marker
Inscription.
Westlake and the Cross Timbers. . Our history begins in a distinctively unique geographic region of North Central Texas, the Cross Timbers. Early explorers and travelers noticed the area because of the extended groves of oak trees bordered with stretches of open prairie. As early as 1832, Washington Irving described it in A Tour of the Prairies: "I shall not easily forget the mortal toil, and the vexations of flesh and spirit, that we undertook occasionally, in our wanderings through the Cross Timber. It was like struggling through forests of cast iron." The Cross Timbers region extends across parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. From a map, it may be seen that the region runs in irregular, vertical lines, a little like icing running down the sides of a cake. Benjamin Tharp writings described the area as timbered islands amid lakes of grass called oak savannas, a name that refers to wooded areas broke by stretches of grasslands. Hence, describing our home Westlake, Texas.
Our history begins in a distinctively unique geographic region of North Central Texas, the Cross Timbers. Early explorers and travelers noticed the area because of the extended groves of oak trees bordered with stretches of open prairie. As early as 1832, Washington Irving described it in A Tour of the Prairies: "I shall not easily forget the mortal toil, and the vexations of flesh and spirit, that we undertook occasionally, in our wanderings through the Cross Timber. It was like struggling through forests of cast iron." The Cross Timbers region extends across parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. From a map, it may be seen that the region runs in irregular, vertical lines, a little like icing running down the sides of a cake. Benjamin Tharp writings described the area as timbered islands amid lakes of grass called oak savannas, a name that refers to wooded areas broke by stretches of grasslands. Hence, describing our home Westlake, Texas.
Erected by Town of Westlake, Westlake Academy.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1832.
Location. 32° 59.088′ N,
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97° 12.711′ W. Marker is in Westlake, Texas, in Tarrant County. It is on J T Ottinger Road north of Deloitte Way. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2600 J T Ottinger Rd, Roanoke TX 76262, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Morgan Petermann of Hurst, Texas. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Morgan Petermann of Hurst, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
