Cartwright is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Bryan County, Oklahoma, located along the Red River at the north end of Denison Dam, on the Oklahoma-Texas state line. It is one of the newest communities in Bryan County, established as a settlement for workers during the construction of Denison Dam. The community is named for Wilburn Cartwright, the U.S. Congressman who, together with Texas Representative Sam Rayburn, secured federal approval and funding for the Denison Dam project. The dam spans the Red River and forms Lake Texoma at the confluence of the Red and Washita rivers, creating one of the region's most developed and popular reservoirs. Cartwright's post office opened in April 1940, marking the community's formal establishment. Before the dam, the area was largely rural farmland along the Red River; the construction project in the late 1930s brought workers and their families, and the community that grew around the workers' shelters took Cartwright's name in recognition of his role in the project. Today it remains a small rural place of roughly 500 residents. Lake Texoma dominates the area's recreation and economy, drawing boaters, anglers, and campers from across Oklahoma and Texas. The damsite sits about five miles northwest of Denison, Texas, and about fifteen miles southwest of Durant, Oklahoma, placing Cartwright close to the amenities of both states while retaining a quiet, lake-country character. Cartwright's setting along the Red River places it in the Choctaw Nation's home territory of southeastern Oklahoma, an area whose economy draws on agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and distribution. Tourism around Lake Texoma, along with attractions such as the Choctaw Casino Resort near Durant, anchors much of the local economy. Residential life in Cartwright centers on small single-family homes near the lake, with a pace that follows the seasons of lake recreation rather than an urban calendar. The community's proximity to the dam and shoreline makes it a practical location for those who want regular access to boating, fishing, and lakeside parks.