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Butterfield Stage Line


category : Railroad History
Butterfield Stage Line Standing at the forefront of the old Butterfield road imagine the stage coach hustling along the old wooden fence line up the well-ridden ruts that are still visible today and coming to an abrupt halt at the rest stop.

The Butterfield Overland Mail route directed its route to Boggy Depot in 1858 from St. Louis to San Francisco. The Butterfield route covered 192 miles and was one of the principal roads, through Indian Territory, from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Colbert's Ferry on the Red River.

The passenger fee to travel from Memphis or St. Louis to San Francisco was $200, an enormous sum for the time. Most travelers were local citizens and the rate was 10 cents a mile.

As important as the Butterfield Stage was in its attempt to tie the country together, its life was brief due to the onset of the Civil War. On June 30, 1861, the last trip was made over the route of the Butterfield State Line.


Hours: Open 24 hours daily
Address: Behind the Confederate Memorial Museum and Recreational Area
Phone: 580-889-7192

Come visit us in Atoka, Oklahoma

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Historic Downtown

Take in some of Atoka's History by viewing the historic downtown buildings. 1901 Bank Building

Atoka, OK Historic Downtowns

Boggy Depot Townsite

Prelude to a State Boggy Depot's contribution to Oklahoma outlasted all her structures, for it was the source of the state's name. Chief Allen Wright, principal chief of the Choctaw Nation, suggested the word "Oklahoma" (meaning "Red People") in 1866

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Butterfield Stage Line

Standing at the forefront of the old Butterfield road imagine the stage coach hustling along the old wooden fence line up the well-ridden ruts that are still visible today and coming to an abrupt halt at the rest stop. The Butterfield Overland Mail route directed its route to Boggy Depot in 1858

Atoka, OK Railroad History

Boggy Depot Cemetery

Adjoining Boggy Depot Townsite is the 1830s Middle Boggy Battlefield Site and Cemetery. The townsite and cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the Oklahoma's list of Oldest Historical Places.

Atoka, OK Cemeteries

Confederate Cemetery

The "burying ground" was first used by emigrants traveling on the Butterfield Stage road who camped at a spring, which was later called "Harkins' Spring," just north of the Middle Boggy River (today known as the Muddy Boggy).

Atoka, OK Cemeteries

Things to do Railroad History near Atoka, OK