 Western artist Frank Reaugh moved from Illinois to Kaufman County in 1876 to draw inspiration for his paintings such as "The Approaching Herd" (1902).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.3%) is water.Located in the northeast portion of Texas, it is bounded on the southwest by Trinity River, and drained by the east fork of that stream.