The panhandle plains were Texas's last frontier, barren lands populated
by hostile Comanche and outlaws attempting to outrun civilization. It
was Texas Ranger and frontier scout Jim Jackson who first saw potential
in the region. Jackson accompanied Col. Ranald Mackenzie into unsettled
Kent County in 1875. He climbed a mountain at Polar to witness a sea of
tall grass and a good stream of water. This was good news for Jackson's
friends and relatives in Coleman County. Many chose to leave the crowded
range and move their cattle herds west. Those who answered the call of
the wild were Elkins, Mann, Brown, Overall, Sharp, Wallace, and a host
of others. They were the point riders who took the challenge of opening
Kent, Garza, Crosby, Lynn, Borden, Dawson, Mitchell, Fisher, Scurry,
Stonewall, and Nolan Counties to permanent settlement.