Looking for Atoka County info-any experts out there?

[pyledriver]

I'm looking for info related to stage stops in Atoka county. I have a listing that shows several, but isn't very precise as to location. I'm wondering if anybody knows of these places and has any info on them or might be able to help me access them?

 

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[Tuberale]

I am not expert in Oklahoma history. In Oregon, many stage stops later blossomed into communities or post offices. A quick Google search of what the stops were once called may yield what they are now known as.

In Oregon, we have a wonderful resource called "Oregon Geographical Names" which lists names, histories, and some locale information, all in the same resource. You might also contact your local librarian for similar information in Oklahoma. Ditto your local historical society.

 

[Mackaydon]

Boggy Depot is a ghost town in Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States. It grew as a vibrant and thriving rural town in present day Atoka County and became a major trading center on the Texas Road and the Butterfield Overland Mail route between Missouri and San Francisco. It also sat on the old military trail from Fort Smith, westward, to Fort Wa--deleted--a and Fort Arbuckle. However, when the MKT Railroad came through Atoka County in 1876, it bypassed Boggy Depot and the town began a steady decline. By the early 1900s all that remained of the community was a sort of ghost town. It was soon replaced by Atoka as the chief city in Atoka County.

The ruins of the church house at Boggy Depot, which served as the capitol of the Choctaw Nation in 1859, can still be seen in historic Boggy Depot State Park.

Boggy Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#72001050) in 1972.

Boggy Depot, Oklahoma is at coordinates 34°17′55″N 96°18′09″W / 34.2987014, -96.3024934 (Boggy Depot, Oklahoma)Coordinates: 34°17′55″N 96°18′09″W / 34.2987014, -96.3024934 (Boggy Depot, Oklahoma)

 

[Mackaydon]

Geary's Station was a stage stand on the old Butterfield Overland Mail route in Indian Territory. Sometimes called Geary's Crossing, it was located on the east side of LIttle Boggy Creek (North Boggy Creek) in what is now Atoka County, Oklahoma. It was operated by A.W. Geary, an inter-married Choctaw. His wife Lucy was the sister of a Choctaw chief. The Choctaw Nation had awarded Geary the privilege of building a bridge and tollgate at the Little Boggy crossing on the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road in 1858, which would later become the route of the Butterfield Overland Mail stage.

Geary's Station is listed by the Oklahoma Historical Society as an Oklahoma Historic Site. The actual site has been inundated by Atoka Reservoir.

 

[Mackaydon]

Waddell's Station was a stage stand on the old Butterfield Overland Mail route in Indian Territory. It was located in what is now Atoka County, Oklahoma. It is sometimes confused with Roger's Station, a post-Civil War stage stand and post office, which was three miles in an easterly direction from Waddell's.

Waddell's Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#72001054) in 1972.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Metal detecting is not allowed at Boggy Depot. Be sure to fully research ownership and status of any places before packing your detector in the car.

 

[Mackaydon]

I'd guess that all three sites are off limits to MD-ers since they are on either the National Register of Historic Places or the Okla. list of Historic Places.
Don....

 

[Jason in Enid]

I need to do some research into "historical" listings that we see on so many places. I'm starting to think that some levels of "historic" mean nothing at all. We have an old WPA built armory in my town that is on the "list", yet it has been handed over to the city for demolition to build a new school. I guess "historic" only has meaning until it gets in the way of progress.

 

[pyledriver]

Thanks all-I'm just beginning with researching these and hadn't even thought of checking the historic status of these stops. I'm working on getting several folks together for a hunt at a cool old site-that could be a stage stop, cool old house, anything OLD. My problem is that I'm in the DFW area and just don't have enough time and funds to get out and track these down myself. Hehehe..that's what happens when you speak up, you get elected!

 

[Mackaydon]

You may wish to look at some of these sites in your area:
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/tx/tx.html

 

[RGINN]

'Atoka', derived from a Choctaw word meaning 'Ball Ground' Used to live in SE Oklahoma and we found lots of arrowheads there. I camped at Boggy Depot State Park before. It's kinda outa the way, but a nice place with a very interesting cemetary for history buffs. Park Managers in Oklahoma have the leeway to grant dectecting in state parks. I knew the park manager some years ago and was able to detect, but ONLY in the area of the State Park campsites, since they do have some important historic sites around there. If he didn't know me, I probably wouldn't have been allowed to do even that. Call the park office there and see what the current situation is. Anywhere you go in SE Oklahoma make sure you have permission beforehand. It helps if you know someone or have family down there too, I've noticed. The lumber companies own a lot of land down there, so you might check with them, too.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Let me clarify what RGINN wrote. Don't go ANYWHERE in SE OK without local guide. The hills there are filled with hillbillies, drug runners, moonshiners, and lots of other folks who don't mind shooting first and asking later. One county sheriff had his car pushed off a cliff as a warning. I have some relatives down there, these aren't rumors.

 

[pyledriver]

Wow-that last is probably the best info! I've done some poking around in the backwoods in the Pine Knot Crossing area and it looked prime for meth labs! Didn't see any but you never know I guess.

The work I'm doing is for a group of folks who are mostly in Ok. Some are in n. Texas too, and as I mentioned, I spoke up about some ideas and my t'hunting partner dropped me in the grease by nominating me to head up the group hunt..LOL! THAT's why I'm not looking at local sites btw, as one poster suggested. I have PLENTY to keep me busy in Texas but I like to branch out and I've taken a liking to Okieland over the last few years!

Anyway, thanks for the input! Y'all are welcome to be a part of this group hunt too-PM me for more details.

 

[ivan salis]

know that stage stops were like train stops of old --they had to have "stop" stations every so often --to change out horses (or in the case of trains to get water for the steam engines boiler ) thats why if you look at town sites on a old train line maps you will see them "spaced" apart every so often * normally the distance needed between boiler fill ups * -- old stage routes were much the same --a team of horses could only be driven so hard and so far before needing to be "swapped out"-- while the horses were swapped out by the stage stop station masters --passengers and drivers / guards often got a chance to eat and drink as well . -- by looking at known stage stops along known stage roads one can figger out the "spacing" and by figgering the distances along known stage routes --one can often find the general area of "missing" unrecorded stops

 

[pyledriver]

Ivan, that's greatness! When I first had the idea I knew nothing about stage stops in general, just that I have this list... Ain't that the great thing about this hobby? You learn so much!

 

[RGINN]

Truth is, Jason and I are sort of sentinels charged with guarding vast amounts of treasure stored for when the south rises again. He is a little more blunt than I. (just kidding. maybe.) pyledriver, I would suggest you get in contact with one of the many treasure hunting clubs on here. It sounds to me like you're trying to help some folks out with this. If that is the case, these folks will possibly help you out.

 

[Gooner]

Mom grew up in/near wright city. I'll ask her about stage lines. She is 91. She was born in 1919. Choctaw, you cain't imagine the things I've heard. Hap.New Year. She'll turn 92 Jan 14. Aunt Icy Ford tole me stories bout how bob kilt uncle bud. kinda goes south frum here.
Mom went school thru 3rd g5rade then went to work.
Seems grandma Lola owned a supper club outside of hugo.
The Rock Gables. Lora Ida Catherine Strother.
she sold it in 1948.
Oklahoma was a dry state until 1959. we had near beer, legal, 3.2 % alcohol by volume. How long did shine carry on 'round here?
Since my birthdate of apr, 3 matches unc. bud's death date of apr, 3, 1882,
and Bill Slaughter's Death in 1995 of Apr,3, 1995, And Joe Gray in apr, 3 2000,
and so on, can we get a FAIR hearing on this board on what I am willing to propose?
I'll post Madrugada Estrella and start over from the beginning if I must.
-bill- i love my friends

 

[pyledriver]

I sure appreciate all the input! The clubs will probably be my best route since other than the forums, I don't know any locals! I'll keep working with the ideas given above and if it looks like this will actually get off the ground I'll let everybody know..

 

[Gooner]

Mom didn't know about stage lines, but she rode the train several times.
Dad had kinfolk in Atoka area as well, but all are passed on.
-bill-

 

[Charmin]

I found something neat for you, pyledriver. By searching the OU Digital Librairies online, I found that the stage line stops were at Bread Town, Atoka and Boggy Depot. Read some more in this article here: http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/pioneer/papers/0000 Flint.pdf (you may have to copy and paste that link in your browser). This OU site has LOTS of neat articles/interviews about Oklahoma.
Something else kinda neat mentioned in the above link......Road markings were 1 notch, 2 notches and 3 notches and fishing and hunting grounds were marked by different emblems cut on stone or trees--fish, deer, turtle, snake, coon and squirrel, representing different hunting grounds(I guess the Indians did the markings?).
And here is a copy of a map that shows the forts, camps and military roads(I wonder if the stage lines followed the military roads?).
Hope this helps!