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shoreline is steep, swimming is limit-
ed in the park. An unsupervised
beach near the Elm Point camp-
ground can be reached by a short
hike down an incline, and swimmers
are urged to use caution because of
underwater hazards such as sub-
merged logs and rocks.
Eisenhower is within 100 miles (o
the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and sta\
busy most weekends during tH
warm months. Reservations are e
sential for the overnight facilities
People who can work a camping tri
into their schedules during the week
will find the park far less crowded.
No account of Eisenhower State
Recreation Area would be complete
without a short discussion of this
area's history. Some 100 million years
ago, during the Cretaceous period,
this region was covered by a huge,
shallow sea that spread across much
of what is now North America. Lime-
stone and clay were deposited during
thattime, andnowoutcropinhorizon-
tal layers. Marine fossils of mollusks
that inhabited the sea are still being
found in the park. One of the most
common is the ammonite, a relative
of the octopus that lived in a coiled
shell.
In more recent times, the Red
River brought French traders and
trappers to the region in the 18th
century. In 1837, Holland Coffee
established an Indian trading post
on the river at Preston Bend, a town
that was inundated when Lake Tex-
oma was built. In the mid-19th cen-
tury steamboats moved along the
Red River. Denison was established
in 1858 as a stage stop where the
Butterfield overland stage route
crossed the river. Outlaws such as
Belle Starr, Cole Younger and the
James Brothers are said to have wan-
dered in and out of the area. Rail-
roads were constructed in the 1870s
and 1880s and Denison became the
site of the state's first electric rail-
way in 1896.
A trip to the Denison area should
include a stop at the home where
Rolling hills and woodlands of oak, elm
and ash are a literal stone's throw from
the glimmering lake. There are some
ideal settings for picnics and some shady
spots to get ready for another fishing
trip.
AUGUST 1983
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Dwight D. Eisenhower's life began.
The inviting white frame house sits
on a huge lawn landscaped with
plants such as holly and honeysuckle.
A larger-than-life statue of Eisen-
Lower dressed in a field jacke:greets
visitors. "This memorial is dedicated
to young people everywhere that
they may be inspired to greatness by
the example of our most distin-
guished son," reads the inscription
cn the base of the statue.
It was through the determination
and work of Miss Jennie Jackson, a
Denison schoolteacher. that Eisen-
1-ower's birthplace was recognized
and restored. When General Eisen-
1-ower gained national recognition
during Worlc. War II. Miss Jackson
recalled that she used to rock an
Ezsenhower baby when a family of
tha: name lived in a Louse on Day
S reet in Denison. Shie wrote to the
general verseas to ask if he had
been born in Denison The general
wrote back that Le didn't know-as
a cadet at West Point he Lad given
his birthplace as Tyler, Texas. Miss
Jackson then wrote to thie general's
mother in Abilene, Kansas, who con-
firmed that he was indeed born in
Denison.
MissJacksongot towork. Bystress-
ing the importance of preserving the
birthplace of this notable American,
she managed to interes: a group of
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