Receiver Bridge

A natural border of the Louisiana Territory when it was acquired by the United States in 1803. The Red River later served as a boundary between the states of Texas and Oklahoma. The exact location for the line of separation was challenged in 1920 soon after an extension of the Burkburnett oil field led to increased drilling activity in the area, including the banks and the bed of the stream. Since the Red River meandered, causing wide flood plains, the state of Oklahoma initiated a suit to determine ownership of the land. By authority of the United States Supreme Court, the disputed land was temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Frederick A. Delano, whose nephew Franklin Delano Roosevelt later became president of the United States, was named as the receiver in charge of the property. As part of his plan of supervision, he had a one-lane wooden bridge (2.5 miles North) built to the center of the river, providing access to the drilling sites. The boundary between the two states was set as the south bank of the Red River in 1923. It was not until four years later that a special commission completed the actual survey work. The bridge was partially destroyed later during a 1935 flood. (1981)

Receiver Bridge is a historical marker in Burkburnett, Wichita County, dedicated in 1981. It is one of 75 historical markers documented in Wichita County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 94 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 34.0976, -98.6846 near Burkburnett. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bridgetown (historical marker), about 0.7 miles away. Others within a short drive include Clara, Ghost Town of, Clara Cemetery, and Northwest Extension Oilfield.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5485004214. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.