Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 11, No. 2
June, 1933
HISTORIC PLACES ON THE OLD STAGE LINE FROM FORT SMITH TO RED RIVER
By MURIEL H. WRIGHT
Page 798
For one who will follow the traces of the old stage line road from Fort Smith to Red River, bearing in mind the part it had
in the history of Oklahoma and other sections of the Southwest, there still lingers something of the spirit of Indian Territory
days. With the exception of a few detours, which also pass through interesting country, the worn traces of the old stage line,
especially between Fort Smith and Stringtown, parallel the country roads most of the way today. These roads are good, except
during extreme spells of bad weather, making a trip over them worth while not only for the historical interest but also for
the glimpses of forests and prairies, mountains and streams still as fair in their unspoiled beauty as when the first pioneers
saw them.
From Fort Smith the route extends southwest by way of present Spiro, Latham, Red Oak, Wilburton, old Mountain Station, Ti
Valley, Wesley, Stringtown, to Atoka. Southwest from Atoka the old road is closed but there is comparatively easy access to
historic places in the region southwest of that point—Old Boggy Depot, Nail's Crossing on Blue, Fort McCulloch, Fort Washita,
Carriage Point, and the two ferries on Red River in Southwestern Bryan County, Rock Bluff and Colbert's. If a straight edge
is placed on a map of Southeastern Oklahoma between the site of Fort Smith and that of Old Boggy Depot, it will be seen that
the route of the old trail deviates little from such a line. It should be specially noted that the good roadbeds in the valleys,
shallow crossings on the larger streams and easy passes through the outlying ridges of the San Bois and the Winding Stair
Mountains lay along this same line, which made it the best and the most direct route for travel from Fort Smith across the
Choctaw and the Chickasaw country to Red River and points southwest. So it was a natural trailway undoubtedly followed by
the native Indian tribes and by visitors to the country lying between the Arkansas and Canadian and the Red rivers long
Page 799
Page 800
before the first permanent settlements were established in that region.1
In the beginnings of recorded history of Oklahoma, the road first came into prominence when it was traveled by the Chickasaws
on their long journey in 1837-9 from their ancient homelands east of the Mississippi River to their new country in the Indian
Territory.2 The Choctaw Agency or Skullyville, the first stop on the trail west of Fort Smith and across the Choctaw border, came into
prominence at the beginning of the Choctaw immigration in 1831. Boggy Depot, or "the Depot on Boggy" as it was sometimes called,
was established in 1838 as the western terminus of the trail, a station from which commissary supplies were issued to the
immigrating Chickasaws. The first log cabin was erected on this site in the fall of 1837, by Cyrus Harris, afterward governor
of the Chickasaw Nation for several terms.3
Throughout the years the portion of the trail between Fort Smith and Clear Boggy River was generally known as the Fort Smith-Boggy
Depot Road. With the establishment of Fort Washita in 1842 as a permanent military post and the extension of the road to that
point, it was also sometimes called the Fort Smith-Fort Washita Road. The road struck
1The writer made two extended field trips along many of the old trails in Eastern Oklahoma in 1930: (1) accompanying Mr. and
Mrs. J. Y. Bryce, of Oklahoma City, to points in Eastern and Southern Oklahoma, including historic places on portions of the
Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road and the Texas Road; (2) accompanying Mr. J. B. Wright, of McAlester, along the route of the Marcy
California Trail northeast from McAlester, continuing north of the San Bois Mountains by way of Kinta and Sans Bois Town to
Skullyville, and returning along the old Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road from the last mentioned place to Stringtown. The results
of these field trips were compiled by the writer in a book of views with historical notes now in the Library of the Oklahoma
Historical Society, in 1931. The writer also personally interviewed (in 1922-4) a number of early day citizens who had traveled
over the road between Colbert's Ferry and Fort Smith both before and after the period of the Civil War. Among these old timers
who have since passed on were Mrs. Sarah B. Harlan, of Caddo; Mr. Emerson Folsom, of Atoka and Durant; and Mr. Henry LeFlore,
of Coal County.
Page 801
the Texas Road about a mile north of present Stringtown, in Atoka County; thence the two roads merged to Red River. The line
of the Texas Road from the crossing of the Canadian, south of present Eufaula, was established after the founding of Fort
Washita. Before that, the Texas Road out of Fort Gibson followed the old Leavenworth Trail, crossing the Canadian at the mouth
of Little River, in Hughes County. Thus, for travelers both from the north and the east toward Fort Washita, the crossing
on Little (or North) Boggy, about two miles southwest of present Stringtown was an important point. A. W. Geary, an intermarried
Choctaw, established his residence, an extensive farm, and other improvements here at an early date. After the construction
of the M. K. & T. Railroad in 1872, from north to south across the Indian Territory (following approximately the Texas Road),
that portion of the stage line between Fort Smith and Stringtown, where it struck the new railroad, was known as "the Fort
Smith-Stringtown Road."
At this point in our story, it should be noted that both the Chickasaws and the Choctaws had long known the advantages of
having permanent highways through their domains. With the establishment of the famous Natchez Trace (1802) out of Nashville,
Tennessee, through the two nations to Natchez, Mississippi Territory, and the opening up of other highways in that region,
a number of enterprising citizens among the Chickasaws and the Choctaws established their residences along them not only for
the benefits to be gained from the traffic and travel that would pass their doors but also to have an easy access to ports
of trade for the products of their own farms. Among these prominent Indian Families who had their homes on the early day highways
in Mississippi were the Colberts, Loves, Folsoms, McKinneys, Holsons, Smallwoods, LeFlores, Juzons, Nails, Perrys, Harkins,
McCurtains, and Pusleys.
In the Indian Territory, Boggy Depot was the converging point for several trails to different points west and south. The road
to Red River, or the Texas Road, extended in a
Page 802
southwestern direction via Nail's Crossing on Blue, thence by way of Carriage Point to Rock Bluff Ferry, near Preston, Texas,
whose history as a part of the annals of the republic and state extends back over a period of almost a century. Even before
that time the Rock Bluff marked the crossing of an old Indian trail on Upper Red River and, in 1849, the return route of Captain
Randolph B. Marcy's expedition from Santa Fe to Fort Smith.5
Not long after 1846, James Tyson, of North Carolina, whose wife was Charlotte Love, daughter of Henry Love of the Chickasaw
Nation, owned a ferry at Rock Bluff. Already well-to-do as a slave owner, James Tyson's wealth increased from the proceeds
of his ferry and from the products of his extensive plantation that lay in the low valley opposite Rock Bluff, on the north
side of Red River in the Chickasaw Nation (now Oklahoma). One day in talking to a party of Mormons who were traveling through
the Indian Territory on their way to Utah, Mr. Tyson learned there were a number of carpenters among them. Finding them anxious
to make expenses and save money by plying their trade as they traveled along, he engaged them to build a residence for him
about two miles from his ferry. They proved themselves skilled artisans for when Mr. Tyson's home was completed, it exhibited
the finest workmanship, walls of heavy, hand hewed logs closely fitted at the corners, and hand dressed flooring and other
finishings. The house was two stories in height facing west, tall stone chimneys standing at either of its gable ends, and
a hall leading from the front door past two large rooms on either side to the two-story wing extending in an L to the
5Captain R. B. Marcy, U. S. A., was commandant of an escort that accompanied a wagon train of California immigrants west from
Fort Smith across the Indian Territory in 1849. The report of this outward and return journey appeared in the Report of the
Secretary of War for 1850. Captain Marcy stated that two miles west of Skullyville were the forks of three roads: the left
hand road was to Fort Washita; the right hand, to Edward's Trading House and Fort Holmes on Little River in the Creek Nation;
the middle road was followed by the California wagon train. This middle trail was known from that time as the California Trail.
west of Skullyville, this middle trail crossed the San Bois near the present site of Kinta, continuing north of the San Bois
Mountains approximately by way of (a little to the south of) present Quinton, Featherstone, McAlester, and the village of
Gerty. Thence on west the California Trail coursed the south side of the Canadian River. Locally, the California Trail out
of Skullyville on to Perryville was called the "Perryville Road." After McAlester was founded, it was known as the "McAlester
Road" by those who traveled west from Skullyville.
Page 803
rear. Mrs. Tyson herself took great interest in her new home, planting flowering shrubs and trees around it. For many years
it was known as the most substantial and beautiful place in that section of the country not only by the neighboring planters
but also by travelers along the Texas Road passing within a few yards of the front door.
After the death of Mr. Tyson, in 1857, his wealthy widow, fine looking and respected for her dignity and character, married
Nathan Coffee, of Preston. Upon his death a short time later, Mrs. Coffee undertook the management of her own affairs in which
she proved herself a capable business woman. She was rich in slaves, the quarters, some distance to the rear of her residence,
being a little village in itself, with its main street lined on either side by a row of log cabins where scores of negro slaves
laughed and sang and played after their day's work was done. Large herds of cattle and horses belonging to Mrs. Coffee ranged
the woods and prairies on either side of the Lower Washita Rivers.6 Today one can stand on an eminence on the Texas side of Red River above the Rock Bluff and gain a sweeping view of the beautiful
valley across the river, in present Bryan County. Such a view takes in that portion of the Red River Valley in Oklahoma, now
known as the "Coffee Bend Country," recalling the days when Charlotte Love (Tyson) Coffee ruled its fortunes.7
During the days of the Texas Republic, Preston below the mouth of the Washita, in Texas, and near the Rock Bluff, was the
trading and social center for a wide stretch of country on both sides of the river, including the Chickasaw plantations as
far down as the mouth of Island Bayou. With the discovery of gold in California in 1849, traffic and travel was diverted from
Preston to Sherman, the county seat of Grayson County, Texas. A few years later, increasing emigration crossed Red River at
Colbert's Ferry, located almost due north of Sherman
Page 804
and about six miles, by the meanders of the river, below Rock Bluff.
Increase in trade accompanying heavy emigration southwest, the location of Fort Arbuckle as a permanent military post west
of Fort Washita, and the settlement of the boundary dispute between the Choctaw and the Chickasaw nations by the Treaty of
1855, were all contributary causes for the establishment of a number of new postoffices in the Chickasaw Nation and in the
southern and western parts of the Choctaw Nation during the 'fifties. Mail was delivered by local and star routes out of Fort
Smith to most of these points.
The third week in September, 1858, saw the first mail coach of the Butterfield Stage Line dashing down the Fort Smith-Boggy
Depot Road, on its way with the mail from St. Louis to San Francisco. The plan for the regular delivery of mail between these
two points had been perfected in the granting of a subsidy of $600,000, under an Act of Congress in 1857, to the Overland
Mail Company, of which John Butterfield, the veteran mail route promoter, was president. The route selected out of Tipton,
Missouri, the railroad terminus at that time, was south to Fort Smith, Arkansas, thence 192 miles across Southeastern Indian
Territory to Colbert's Ferry on Red River, continuing by way of Sherman southwest to El Paso, and on west to California.8 As the mail had to be delivered in record time under contract, travel continued day and night over the old trail through
the Indian Territory southwest to Red River, the most direct and accessible road out of Fort Smith by way of McDaniel's Crossing
on Brazil Creek, "The Narrows" on Upper Brazil Creek, Riddle's Crossing on the Fourche Maline, the mountain pass leading to
Pusley's Crossing on Gaines Creek, present Ti and Pounds valleys, the upper courses of Brushy and McGee creeks, Geary's Crossing
on Little (North) Boggy, Davis Crossing on Middle (Muddy) Boggy, Boggy Depot Crossing on Clear Boggy, Nail's Crossing on Blue,
thence southwest by the prairie country past the head of Island Bayou and on to Colbert's Ferry.
Previous to running the first Butterfield stage, arrangements had been made with Indian citizens living on or near this road
in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations to maintain
Page 805
stands where teams could be quickly changed at regular intervals, according to the same plan of operating stage lines in the
States. Only through mail and passengers were carried on the Butterfield stages between St. Louis and San Francisco. (A bag
of mail from Memphis was taken on at Fort Smith to be delivered to San Francisco.)9 At the time the Butterfield Company began operating its California mail coaches, contracts were pending in the Postoffice
Department at Washington with regard to local and star routes running out of Fort Smith to points in the Indian Territory
and North Texas. These facts are important in recounting the history of the Butterfield Line through the Indian Territory
and North Texas, since some persons have thought these advertisements had to do with the Overland Mail, leading them to draw
their conclusions as to the probable location of the stage stations en route through the Choctaw country.
Laws had been passed by the Chickasaw Legislature and the Choctaw General Council requiring a designated number of days of
work on the public highways, from citizens of the respective nations. However, since the total Indian population approximated
only 24,000 persons living in the 18,220 square miles of territory (south of the Arkansas and Canadian rivers as far west
as Chickasha), it was a physical impossibility to maintain good roads in such an extensive area. Neither was there a system
of taxation nor any regular funds
9A copy of the official list of Butterfield Stations operating in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations in 1858 was furnished the
writer in correspondence with Mr. R. P. Conkling, of El Paso, Texas, who had written in the late fall of 1931 seeking information
as to the location of Pusley's Stand and other sites in the Choctaw Nation. Mr. Conkling has made an exhaustive and thorough
study of the whole Butterfield Stage Line from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast, the results of his efforts to appear
at an early date in a volume containing the story of this interesting subject. Also consult Appendix A.
No doubt there were changes and improvements made in the stations after the running of the first coaches. Dr. Leroy R. Hafen
in his "Overland Mail," (Arthur H. Clarke Company) pp. 96-7, stated: "The line was equipped at first with the famous Concord
spring wagons, capable of carrying conveniently four passengers and their baggage and five or six hundred pounds of mail matter.
Later more commodious coaches were used, which carried six to nine inside and one to ten outside passengers. The team usually
consisted of four horses or mules, but upon the more difficult stretches additional animals were attached. Most of the horses
were mustangs, 'wild as deer, and as active as antelope.' They were all shod and branded O. M. (Overland Mail). Stations were
maintained at intervals of from eight to twenty-five miles. At first there were some drives of forty or fifty miles without
change of teams, but these were reduced until the average drive was between ten and fifteen miles."
Page 806
in the two nations to be expended exclusively on the construction and maintenance of good roads, even along the main traveled
trails. Therefore, the plan of allowing the operation of Toll gates was adopted, just as roads in the States were maintained
in many instances.10 Toll gate privileges were granted under legislative action to those Indian citizens who guaranteed to construct and maintain
bridges and turnpikes over the larger streams and along the more difficult portions of the roads. The operation of its California
stages by the Butterfield Company through the Choctaw and Chickasaw country was of such importance that the Council and the
Legislature of each nation, respectively, granted eight of these privileges along the road from Fort Smith to Red River. The
rates of toll in each instance, as granted by the Choctaw Council, were as follows:
"For each four wheeled wagon, or other vehicle, drawn by four or more horses, mules, or oxen with driver, the sum of Fifty cents; For each four wheeled wagon, or other vehicle, drawn by one or two horses, mules or oxen, the sum of Twenty-five cents; For each man and horse, the sum of Ten cents; and for each animal in every drove of cattle, horses, mules, logs, or sheep, One cent."
10Under a law passed by the General Council of the Choctaw Nation in 1854, all free males between the ages of eighteen and fifty
years and all United States citizens—licensed mechanics and merchants—living in the Nation were required to work six days
out of every year on the public roads or pay a fine of fifty cents a day. The proceeds of such sums were placed in the hands
of respective county judges to be used for county purposes. All school teachers and farmers belonging to the different institutions
in the Nation, students in the schools, and doctors were exempt from working on the roads. County judges should appoint two
competent men out of each county to mark any new road that was necessary. Section 2, of this road law, stated further, "That
it shall be the duty of the county judges to notify the people of their respective counties by any light-horse man, at least
five days before the time for working on the roads, who, with their axes, hoes and other utensils that may be necessary for
the work, shall so work."
Under a law of the Chickasaw Legislature passed in 1857, all citizens of the Chickasaw Nation between the ages of sixteen
and fifty years and all licensed merchants and white men in the Nation were required to work six days on the public roads
or pay a fine of fifty cents a day, the proceeds to be used for county purposes. Any person owning two male slaves of lawful
age was required to send one to work on the road. All licensed preachers and school teachers residing in the Nation were exempt
from road work. All matters pertaining to the public roads were in the hands of the county judges of the respective counties,
such as appointing overseers for road work; notifying the people ahead of time to bring axes, grubbing hoes, and spades at
the appointed time for work; and appointing two persons to mark out new roads upon the presentation of petitions signed by
the citizens of any community.
Page 807
The following persons were granted tollgate privileges in the regular sessions of the Choctaw Council at Boggy Depot in 1858
and 1859, to extend over a period of six years in each case:11
(1) Washington McDaniel and Charles M. James were granted the privilege of erecting a bridge on "Bayouzil Creek" (Brazil Creek)
and establishing a tollgate near their place of residence on the road from Fort Smith to Boggy Depot. (Approved October 27,
1858.)
(2) William Holloway was granted the privilege of constructing a turnpike road and establishing a tollgate near his residence
at "The Narrows" on "the public road in this Nation leading from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Fort Washita in the Chickasaw country."
(Approved October 21, 1858.) This turnpike was through The Narrows on upper Brazil Creek, about two miles northeast of present
Red Oak, in Latimer County. Holloway's residence was on the road some distance east of the pass itself.
(3) Captain John Riddle was granted the privilege of erecting a bridge across the Fourche Maline near his place of residence
and establishing a tollgate at that point, on "the road leading from Fort Smith to Boggy Depot." (Approved October 21, 1858.)
John Riddle was born in Mississippi in 1809. He was the descendant of a Virginian who had married a full-blood Choctaw woman
and settled in the Nation at an early day. Their daughter Mary, reported to have been a very beautiful girl, married John
Walker, also a Virginian. They in turn were the ancestors of Governor Tandy Walker, of Skullyville, who was therefore a relative
of Captain John Riddle. In 1831, the Riddles and the Walkers lived in the Northeastern (Mosholatubbi's) District of the nation
east of the Mississippi River, on the highway a few miles from Demopolis, Alabama. Captain John Riddle had been educated at
the Choctaw Academy, in Kentucky, and was a prominent leader among his people in the Indian Territory, serving not only as
a member of the Council for several terms but also holding other important positions. In 1858, his residence was on the west
side of the Fourche Maline in Gaines County, Choctaw Nation, a little over two miles east of Wilburton
Page 808
and just east of Lutie, in Latimer County. The site of Riddle Station was near the old cemetery to the south of the present
highway, on the side of the hill a few hundred yards west of the Fourche Maline.
(4) A. W. Geary was granted the privilege of erecting a bridge and establishing a tollgate near his residence at the crossing
of Little (North) Boggy on the "road leading from Fort Smith to Boggy.Depot." (Approved October 21, 1858.) This location has
been previously mentioned. Mr. Geary was an inter-married Choctaw, his wife being Lucy Juzon, a sister of Mrs. Eliza Ann Juzon
Flack who lived at that time south of crossing on Muddy Boggy, the present site of Atoka.12
(5) James D. Davis was granted the privilege of erecting a bridge and establishing a tollgate at his residence on Middle (Muddy)
Boggy on the road from Fort Smith to Boggy Depot. (Approved October 26, 1858.) The Davis bridge was on the same site or near
the present highway bridge across Muddy Boggy at Atoka. James Davis was an intermarried Choctaw, who took an active interest
in affairs in the Nation during his life time.
(6) The heirs of the late William R. Guy were granted
12"De Juzan" (or Juzon) was the name of an aid of Chevalier De Noyon, an officer in the French troops commanded by the famous
Bienville. Both De Juzan and De Noyon fell in the Battle of Ackia between the French and the Chickasaw Indians on May 26,
1736. Ackia was the name of a strongly fortified Chickasaw village located about twenty-five or thirty miles west of the site
which later became known as Cotton Gin Port, Mississippi. The fact that a British flag floated over the village of Ackia during
the battle, in which the French were defeated, indicated an alliance between the English and the Chickasaws. The Choctaw Indians
were the allies of the French. Mrs. Lucy Geary and Mrs. Eliza Ann Flack were sisters of Pierre Juzon, a notable Choctaw, of
French descent who attended the Choctaw Academy, Kentucky, in the later 1820's, where he was esteemed by his teachers and
classmates for his personality and ability. Pierre Juzon was elected chief of the Pushmataha District, Choctaw Nation (in
Oklahoma), in 1838, serving in that position until his death in 1841. It may be noted in passing that the fifth signer of
the Treaty of Doaks Stand in Mississippi, in 1820, was "James Hanizon." It seems to the writer that "Hanizon" was a misspelling
of the name "Juzon." In 1823, missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions established a school
at a Mr. Juzon's residence, eighty-five miles southeast of Mayhew, Mississippi, on the old Mobile Road. This Mr. Juzon was
the father of Pierre Juzon. While Pierre was attending the Choctaw Academy in 1828, a number of students in the institution
joined the "Methodist and the Baptist Societies." Mrs. Lucy Ann Juzon Flack was one of the pioneers in Baptist Church work
in Oklahoma. (see text). (For lists of students who attended the Choctaw Academy, in Kentucky, the writer has consulted "The
Choctaw Academy," by Mrs. Carolyn Thomas Foreman, appearing in Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. VI, No. 4 [December, 1928], and Vol. X, No. I [March, 1932]).
Page 809
the privilege of erecting a bridge across Clear Boggy and establishing a tollgate near their mill on the Fort Smith road about
a mile east of Boggy Depot. (Approved October 26, 1858.) After settling at that place as assistant agent in the Chickasaw
immigration in 1837-9, Mr. Guy had married Jane McGee, of the Chickasaw Nation. He set up his mill on Clear Boggy during the
early 'forties and was the first postmaster at the Depot in 1849, where he also kept an inn for many years.
(7) Silas Pusley was granted the privilege of erecting a bridge and establishing a tollgate on Gaines Creek near his residence.
(Approved October 22, 1859.) Silas Pusley was the son of Calvin Pusley. The latter was the son of Captain George Pusley, who,
before the Civil War, lived in the vicinity of what was afterward known as Mountain Station, on the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot
Road. Before he emigrated west, Captain Pusley lived on the Natchez Trace, in Mississippi, where he cultivated a farm of fifty
acres and made extensive improvements for that early day. He was one of the Choctaw commissioners who signed the treaty with
the Chickasaws in 1837, under the terms of which the Chickasaws moved west and made their homes in the Choctaw country. The
district blacksmith shop of Musholatubbee District (the First District in the Choctaw Nation, West) was located at Captain
George Pusley's place until 1850. Captain Pusley's three sons, Calvin, Nicholas, and Narras, all lived near the Gaines Creek
crossing, southwest of present Wilburton, near the present site of Higgins, in Latimer County. What is known today as the
"old Pusley place" is just south of this crossing. A small branch of Gaines Creek near the farm still bears the name of "Pusley
Creek." Worn ruts of the former stage line road, an old well, a portion of an old log house, and the Pusley family burial
ground can still be seen on this farm. Some of the older graves are unmarked, others have marble tombstones bearing the names
of Pusleys and Seeleys. The graves of
Page 810
Narras Pusley (died 1887, aged 48 years) and of Eastman Pusley (died 1899) are covered with ruins of little gravehouses, showing
that interment was made according to the old time Indian custom.
Of the above list, Holloways, Riddle's, Pusley's, and Geary's were operated as Butterfield stations, there being twelve stations
in the Indian Territory, varying little from an average of sixteen miles apart. Readings of distances between these stage
stations, taken with a viameter on one of the wheels of the first stage between St. Louis and San Francisco almost seventy-five
years ago, still tally with those taken by a speedometer of an automobile over the old route today. In addition, to the above
stations, the official Butterfield list gave the names of Walker, Trahern, Blackburn, Waddell, Boggy Depot, Nail's Crossing,
Fisher's Stand (in the vicinity of what is now known as Carriage Point), and Colbert's Ferry.14
Walker's Station was at Skullyville, about a mile and a quarter east of present Spiro and fifteen miles west of Fort Smith.
Governor Tandy Walker's residence, where he kept the stage stand, was the old Choctaw Agency house. From available information
at this writing, it was erected for Major Francis W. Armstrong, superintendent in the removal of the Indians west of the Mississippi
and Choctaw agent from 1831-35.15
Trahern's Station was the residence of James N. Trahern. The ruins of a well built, hewed log house are pointed by local residents
as the Trahern place, about one and a quarter miles southeast of the site of present Latham, in LeFlore County. James N. Trahern
was born in Mississippi in 1808, his family being prominent among those of Choctaw descent. He, also,
15From 1857 to 1860, what was known as the Skullyville Constitution was in force in the Choctaw Nation. This document provided
for drastic changes in the former government of the Nation to which the Choctaws seriously objected. Under this new constitution,
there was only one executive at the head of the Nation, styled "governor," instead of the time honored custom of three district
chiefs, which had been incorporated in the former constitution. Such opposition arose to the Skullyville Constitution that
Alfred Wade, who had been elected to the position of governor, resigned, Tandy Walker, president of the Senate taking his
position. In 1860, the Choctaws adopted another constitution which remained in force in that nation until 1906.
Page 811
attended the Choctaw Academy, in Kentucky. After making his home in the Indian Territory, he was said to have served longer
as county judge of Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation, than any other citizen.
According to the official list of stations in the Indian Territory, Blackburn's was seventeen miles from Pusley's. This location
on the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road was about six miles Southeast of present Blanco, in Pittsburg County, and east of the Colbert
crossing on Brushy Creek. By the side of the present country road, a few hundred yards east of the crossing on Brushy are
a number of old graves some of which are inclosed by sand stone walls. About a half mile northeast of this burial ground,
the traces of the stage line run past an old house site near Elm Creek (formerly Wilson's Creek ?), said to have been the
location of old Blackburn's Station. Blackburn was an inter-married Choctaw. After the Civil War, he also had a ranch place
on or near the present town of Kiowa, in Pittsburg County.
Waddell's was reported to have been sixteen miles from Blackburn's, the latter point on the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road would
be on or near the present site of Wesley, in Northeastern Atoka County. Two miles west of Wesley to the north side of the
road, near the head of McGee Creek, is an old hewed log house, now known as the Beale Place. This site would have been thirteen
miles from Geary's Station at the crossing of Little (or North) Boggy. The Beale place was the location of a stage stand after
the War, mention of which is made later in this article.16
Travelling south and west from Boggy Depot, stages
16It is interesting to note that one of the organizers of the famous Pony Express, which supplanted the operations of the Butterfield
Company in 1861, was named William Waddell. The writer has been unable to find any citizen of the Choctaw or Chickasaw nations,
bearing that name. William Waddell, of the Pony Express company, was a member of the North Carolina family of Waddells that
furnished a number of leaders well known in history. He was friendly with the Cherokees living in North Carolina and was personally
acquainted with some of the leading men of the Cherokee Nation. He visited in the Cherokee Nation, West, (in Oklahoma) and
is said to have liked the country. In 1856 or 1857, a cousin, Walter Waddell of New York State, joined him in some of his
business enterprises in the West before the organization of the Pony Express. Walter Waddell later went to Oregon and was
thought to have been lost on a steamer bound for San Francisco in about 1859. It is quite probable that he or his cousin,
William, was directly interested in the "Waddell Station" on the Butterfield Stage Line. After the Civil War, this station
was known as Rogers' Station. The owner was John Pendergraf Rogers, a Cherokee, who married Mary Garland Spencer, a daughter
of Samuel Garland, principal chief of the Choctaw Nation in 1862-4.
Another point that should be noted in connection with the distance between Blackburn's Station and Geary's Station is the
statement of Mr. W. L. Ormsby (see ref. footnote 4). The distances between stations given by Mr. Ormsby in his story, reprinted in Chronicles, do not always check with the
distances as taken today. However, he stated that Blackburn's was eighteen miles, traveling toward Red River, to the next stattion (or Waddell's on the official list); and that this latter station was thirteen miles to Geary's. This made a total of thirty-one miles, which still tallies between the site of Blackburn's and that of Geary's on the old
route. The stage upon which Mr. Ormsby traveled broke down during the night in this vicinity and evidently he was interested
in actual distances between these stations! Mr. Ormsby, it should also be noted, wrote that it took three hours to travel
the thirteen miles from the station after Blackburn's on to Geary's. This undoubtedly accounts for the short distance between them (i.e., Waddell's
and Geary's) at that time.
Page 812
arrived at Nail's Crossing, the story of which holds a large place in recounting the history of that section of the Choctaw
Nation. Jonathan Nail had set up a mill at this crossing on Blue River early in the 'forties, later erecting a handsome residence,
a large store, and a tollbridge near the mill. A number of his fine farms and his large cattle ranch were in the same vicinity.
The Nail family was prominent among the Choctaws.
Passing Fisher's, located north of the head of Island Bayou, the stages traveled thirteen miles to Colbert's Ferry. Frank
(B. F.) Colbert had located here in the early 'forties and had become one of the wealthiest citizens in the Chickasaw Nation
as a planter and ranchman. During the regular session of the Chickasaw Legislature, held at "Tishomingo City" in 1858, the
House granted him the privilege of establishing a ferry across Red River near his residence. The wording of this act was as
follows:17
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Chickasaw Nation, That B. F. Colbert is hereby authorized to open and keep up a ferry
across Red River, at his residence about seven miles below Preston, Texas, for the accommodation of travelers, emigrants,
and drovers; and to secure him against the frauds generally practiced by the aforesaid classes, he is hereby authorized to
fence in the landing on this side of the river with a good rail fence, and he shall be allowed the privilege of putting up
a gate, to be styled a ferry gate; and any person or persons wishing to cross the
Page 813
aforesaid river shall be required to pay ferriage at the gate aforementioned, and any person paying at the gate cannot be
made pay at the ferry; and any person that fails or refuses to pay their ferriage may be stopped anywhere on this side of
the river, and be made to pay their ferriage, provided stoppage shall take place within the jurisdiction of this Nation.
Be it further enacted, That the aforesaid B. F. Colbert shall be required to keep at all times good boats and trusty and efficient
boatmen for the accommodation of the travelling public, and he shall be responsible to any person crossing the aforesaid ferry
for any damage sustained by the negligence of any of the boatmen or the insufficiency of any of the boats.
Be it further enacted, that the aforesaid B. F. Colbert shall for the privilege granted in the first section of this act,
at all times, keep the road leading to the ferry in good travelling order and condition, and also keep the ferry landing in
good and proper order; and he shall also be required to give a bond of $500, with security for the faithful performance of
the aforementioned requirements.
Be it further enacted, that the aforesaid B. F. Colbert be and is hereby required to have a list of his rates of charges printed
and posted up in a conspicuous place near his ferry, where every person crossing the ferry may see the same, and the rate
of charges shall be the same as are usually charged on the same sized water courses.
Passed the House, October 19, 1858
A. M. Upshaw, Speaker pro tem.
Attest
A. McCoy, Clerk of the House.
Passed the Senate, October 8, 1859,
Jackson Kemp, President.
Attest
J. Brown, Secretary,
Approved, October 8, 1859,
D. Colbert, Governor.
The last Butterfield stage between St. Louis and San
Page 814
Francisco was ferried across Red River at Colbert's in the spring of 1861. Under an Act, of Congress on the 2nd of March that
same year, a new mail route was established between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Coast by way of Salt Lake City.
The period of the war between the States saw the discontinuance of the regular postal service and stage lines throughout the
Indian Territory, though the names and locations of the old Butterfield Stations over the road from Fort Smith to Red River
were remembered many years after the War.
With the signing of the treaty between the United States and the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, in June 1866, interest in
accommodating travel over the road between Fort Smith and Colbert's Ferry and, also, over the Texas Road from the Canadian
River to the latter ferry was renewed. In the interval between the close of the War in 1865 and the Choctaw-Chickasaw Treaty
of 1866, emigration from the east by way of Fort Smith and from the north by way of Fort Gibson to Texas had steadily increased.
According to the session laws of the General Council of the Choctaw Nation, meeting at Chahta Tamaha ( Armstrong Academy,
the capital of the nation), in 1866 and 1867, the following tollgate privileges were passed and approved:18
(1) Charles LeFlore was granted the privilege of establishing a tollbridge across Clear Boggy where the Fort Smith Road crossed
that stream about a mile east of Boggy Depot. (Approved November 23, 1866.) This privilege was to remain in force for ten
year. Charles LeFlore was one of the colorful characters of his time in the Choctaw Nation. A sketch of his life, published
in 1891, began as follows:19
"The gallant Captain of the Indian Police was born near Doaksville, Towsen County, Choctaw Nation, in 1841, being the son
of Forbes La Flore, a leading citizen of the Nation."
Charles LeFlore married Mary Angelina Guy, daughter of William and Jane McGee Guy. In 1869, he moved to Limestone Gap, where
his large residence, a handsome one for
Page 815
early days, may still be seen to the west of the present highway.
(2) James D. Davis was granted the privilege of establishing a tollbridge across Middle (Muddy) Boggy at his residence near
the place where the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot road crossed that stream. (Approved December 1, 1866.) This privilege was to remain
in force for a period of ten years, the tollbridge being located on the same site as that mentioned in the act of the General
Council of 1858, granting him tollgate privileges. This was at the present site of Atoka.
(3) Jonathan Nail was granted the privilege of establishing a tollbridge across Blue River at his premises on "the Boggy and
Sherman Road." (Approved December 13, 1866.) This privilege was to expire at the end of five years, the rates of toll charged
all persons, except citizens of the Choctaw Nation, being the same as those allowed in similar acts passed by the Council
in 1858, 1866, and 1867.
(4) George Riddle was granted the privilege of establishing a tollbridge across the Fourche Maline, near his residence, on
the road leading from Fort Smith to Boggy Depot. (Approved December 14, 1866.) This privilege was to continue for five years,
the location of the bridge being the same as that constructed by his father, Captain John Riddle, in 1858. Riddle Station,
as formerly, was on the same site east of present Lutie, in Latimer County.
(5) Wade N. Hampton was granted the privilege of establishing a tollgate "at a place on the public road in the Nation leading
from Boggy Depot to Fort Smith, known as Buffalo Station." (Approved October 17, 1867.) This privilege was to continue in
force for ten years on the condition and terms "That if the said Wade N. Hampton, turnpike by grading the earth and leveling
with stones, the said place called Buffalo Station, he shall be entitled to demand and receive therefor from all persons passing
the same, except citizens of the Nation," the regular rates of toll. Buffalo Station was located on the west side of Buffalo
Creek Crossing at what is now known as Pulcher, in Pittsburg County.20 Mr.
20Captain George Pusley's daughter, Phoebe, married a man by the name of Pulcher who settled in the vicinity of present "Pulcher,"
in Pittsburg County, and opened up a farm about the time of the War. Their son, John Pulcher, lived here in later years. He
served as deputy sheriff, as well as sheriff, and later as county judge of old Gaines County, Choctaw Nation. The Wade N.
Hampton residence is said to have been about one-half mile distant from the Pulcher place. An old house site several hundred
yards east of the Hampton burial ground, and nearer Buffalo Creek, has been pointed out as the Hampton residence.
Page 816
Hampton's residence at Buffalo Station was destroyed by fire some years ago. About one-half mile northeast of the present
house, standing on the site of what is now known as Pulcher, is the Hampton family burial plot. Wade N. Hampton was a Choctaw
citizen. A marble tombstone marking his grave bears a Masonic emblem and the date of his death, February 10, 1889, giving
his age as fifty-eight years.
(6) Olasechubi, a full-blood Choctaw, was granted the privilege of establishing a tollgate at Mountain Station on the road
leading from Boggy Depot to Fort Smith upon the condition that he construct and maintain a turnpike at that point. (Approved
October 18, 1867.) The terms of this act were the same as those allowed Wade N. Hampton. Mountain Station was located about
ten miles southeast of Wilburton, in Latimer County. Olasechubi's house site is about fifty yards west of the old cemetery
on top of the mountain pass over which a county road is maintained today. Traces of the old turnpike can still be seen passing
within the shadow of a huge oak that stood within a few feet of the house, either end of which is marked by a heap of chimney
stones.
(7) John Wilkin was granted the privilege of establishing a tollbridge over Bayouzil (Brazil Creek) on the road leading from
Fort Smith to Boggy Dept for a period of ten years upon the following conditions: "That if the said John Wilkin shall erect
or cause to be erected a good substantial bridge across Bayouzil at the above mentioned place, and shall cut and make a good
road running from Washington McDaniel's, by said bridge, intersecting the Fort Smith road at some convenient point, and shall
keep said road so cut out, in good order and condition, he shall be entitled to demand and receive therefor from all persons
passing over the same, except persons of this Nation," the regular rates of toll. (Approved November 5, 1867.) Wilkin's tollbridge
was in the vicinity of the McDaniel and James' bridge in 1858. On the south side of Brazil Creek, about four or five miles
south and east of present Bokoshe, in LeFlore County, are the remains of Brazil Station. It is located west of Nigger Creek,
about a mile from the old crossing on Brazil Creek.
Page 817
(8) Jack McCurtain was granted the right to establish a tollgate at "The Narrows" on the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road upon
his constructing and maintaining a turnpike at that place under the same terms and conditions allowed Wade N. Hampton. (Approved
November 7, 1867.) For several years, McCurtain's residence was south of The Narrows, before he moved his family to his last
homeplace near the present town of Tushkahoma, in Pushmataha County. He was a highly respected and influential citizen of
the Choctaw Nation, serving for many years as member of the General Council and two terms as principal chief (1880-4). His
wife, Jane Austin McCurtain, whose parents were also respected citizens of the Nation, had been educated in Pennsylvania.
After her husband's death in 1885, Mrs. McCurtain was sought in consultation for her superior wisdom and judgment in Choctaw
afairs and particularly in matters arising before the General Council.
(9) John James was granted the privilege of establishing a toll bridge on "the road leading from Boggy Depot to Texas" at
his residence on James Creek in Blue County, Choctaw Nation. (Approved November 5, 1867.) This privilege was to remain in
force for ten years, toll to be collected "four hundred and forty yards up and down the Creek" from the bridge. James Creek
was a small branch of Blue River, a few miles south of Nail's Crossing.
(10) David A. Folsom was granted the privilege of establishing a tollbridge at Nail's Mill on Blue River. (Approved November
20, 1867.) This privilege was to extend over a period of ten years. Although Jonathan Nail had been granted the tollbridge
rights at this point in 1866, it was necessary for Mr. Folsom, as the new owner, to secure the privilege in his name. He was
a member of the prominent Folsom family among the Choctaws and has been described by one who knew him as "a cultured and refined
gentleman." He married the widow of Jonathan Nail, their joint property increasing in value under his management.21
With the establishment of regular stages from Fort Smith over the former Butterfield Stage Line across Southeastern Indian
Territory, in 1868,22 a new line of stations, which in-
Page 818
cluded some of the old stations, was established. These included at different times, Skullyville, Brazil Station, Council
House, Edward's, McCurtain's, Riddle Station, Mountain Station, Buffalo Station, Jim Colbert's on Brushy, Wells' Ropers',
McKinney's, Mrs. Flack's, Boggy Depot, Nail's Crossing, Carriage Point, and Colbert's Ferry.
Both before and after the War, points where tollgates and tollbridges were operated, under grants of the Choctaw Council,
did not always coincide with regular stage stations. However, where it was convenient, the Stage Line Company entered into
agreements with these same parties to keep the stage stands, also.
Among the stage stations in the above list, whose locations have not been previously described, Edward's (also called Edward's
Narrows) was in the vicinity of present Walls, in LeFlore County. After the second Federal invasion of the Indian Territory
and the siezure of Fort Gibson by Union forces, copies of President Lincoln's Amnesty Proclamation and other friendly messages
from the Federal authorities were sent to the chiefs and leaders of some of the Indian tribes. This caused defection among
the Confederate forces in the Indian Territory in favor of the Union. Early in the spring of 1864, some of the Choctaws living
in the vicinity of Skullyville, who were discouraged with the Confederate alliance, met in a convention at New Hope and attempted
to repudidate the stand their nation had taken during the War. A provisional government was set up representing this faction.
Thomas Edwards was nominated and recognized as governor, along with other officials. This action, however, was never recognized
by the Federal Government, since its promulgators were few in number. The Choctaw Nation was "still de facto rebel" for it
had remained practically solid in its alignment with the Confederate States.23 Thomas Edwards' place, listed as Edwards' Station on the stage line after the War, was same .miles northeast of The Narrows.
This was the first location of Red Oak. Edwards was appointed postmaster here on March 11, 1868.24
Tradition has it that the first national council of the
Page 819
Choctaws after their arrival in the Indian Territory (1830-4) was held at "Council House," hence its name. Though the building
has long since disappeared, from descriptions it seems to have been similar to the chiefs' houses erected elsewhere in the
Nation, under the terms of the Treaty of 1830. A walled spring about 200 yards north of this site(at Latham, in LeFlore County)
is all that remains to remind one of the history of "Council House." About fifty yards south of the location of the latter
is the grave of Judge James Trahern and his wife. From this it would seem that he had moved from his former residence (Trahern's
Stand, 1¼ miles southwest of present Latham) about the time of the War to live at or near "Council House." Old Indian family
burial plots in Oklahoma generally indicate the site of the family residence located in the immediate vicinity.
Jim, or James, Colbert's Station was about three-quarters of a mile west of the stage line crossing on Brushy Creek, immediately
on the south side of the section line road.25 His father, Isaac Colbert, had located here at the time of the immigration of the Chickasaws to the Indian Territory. This
was also the site of one of the first blacksmith shops established by the Government for the Chickasaws during the time of
their settlement in this country.26 A portion of a flag stone walk, a stump of a large cedar tree, a clump of "Washington Bower" vine, and an old well are all
that remain to mark the location of this station. Deep ruts of the stage line road are plainly visible near at hand. A few
feet west of the stage stand, there was formerly a large spring that furnished water to travellers and their teams for many
years. Today this spring is filled up, its location being right in the middle of the section line road. Strange to say, in
wet weather this spot dries up while the ruts on either side are still running with water; yet in dry weather there is such
a strong seepage that the center of the road is muddy while the ruts are dry
Wells' Station was at what is now known as the Beale Place, about two miles west of the present site of Wesley, in
Page 820
Northeastern Atoka County. Mr. Wells was a conductor on the new stage line. Sometime after making his home here, he was killed
in an altercation. Later John Pendergraf Rogers lived at Wells' Station (or Beale Place). Although a Cherokee he was a citizen
of the Choctaw Nation by his marriage with Mrs. Mary Garland Spencer, a daughter of Samuel Garland.27 By An act of the Choctaw General Council, he was granted the privilege of operating a tollbridge just east of present Wesley,
across Nolitubbe Creek, a branch of McGee Creek. A postoffice was established at this point, called Rogers Station, on July
1, 1874, with Burton Doyle as postmaster. A site about a mile and a half north of present Wesley has been pointed out as the
location of Mr. Rogers' residence which he must have erected some time after settling in that vicinity. He also furthered
the erection of a church at Wesley.
Old timers who traveled over the Fort Smith-Boggy Depot Road after the War have told of stopping at the well kept inn belonging
to Fred Schmallfield at Rogers' Station. Schmallfield was a native of Germany who had come to the Indian Territory and married
in the Choctaw Nation. On July 23, 1869, he was appointed postmaster of "Brushey" postoffice. From available information at
this writing, it seems this postoffice was located in the vicinity of old Blackburn's Station and that Mr. Schmallfield lived
at the old Blackburn place before he located at Rogers' Station or Wesley.
McKinney's took the place of Geary's Station on Little (North) Boggy after the War. One early day map, not accurate in its
exact locations, however, gives McKinney's near present Stringtown.
Mrs. Flack's residence was on the west side of the old stage line as it passed the present site of Atoka. This location was
several yards west of the present Atoka Highschool building. Mrs. Flack was another among the Indian women of early days respected
for her character and ability. A devoted Baptist, she donated sites in one of her fields for a Baptist Church and the Baptist
Academy at Atoka. For many years before statehood, this Academy served in place of a public school attended by both Indian
and white children. Dormitories erected on the site of Mrs. Flack's homeplace, sometime
Page 821
after the establishment of the Academy, provided care for boarding pupils. Some years ago the interests of this early day
Baptist institution were merged with those of Bacone College, at Muskogee.
The construction of the M. K. & T. Railroad through the Indian Territory in 1872 meant the close of business for the stage
line companies. However, for another decade, travelers and local stages over "the Stringtown Road" to and from Fort Smith
were familiar with the old stage stations along that historic trail.28
APPENDIX A.
Mr. Dick Rice, of Miami, Oklahoma., kindly supplied the following quoted data on the Overland Mail Route, secured by him from
the Office of the Postmaster General, Washington, D. C., on January 19, 1933.
"The records of the Post Office Department contain in part the following information regarding this overland mail service.
The Act of Congress approved March 3, 1857, making appropriation for the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1858 provided as follows:
" 'Sec. 10. That the Postmaster General be, and he is hereby, authorized to contract for the conveyance of the entire letter
mail from such point on the Mississippi river as the contractors may select to San Francisco, in the State of California,
for six years, at a cost not exceeding three hundred thousand dollars per annum for semi-monthly, four hundred and fifty thousand
dollars for weekly, or six hundred thousand dollars for semi-weekly service, to be performed semi-monthly, weekly, or semi-weekly,
at the option of the Postmaster General.
" 'Sec. 11. That the contract shall require the service to be performed with good four-horse coaches or spring wagons, suitable
for the conveyance of passengers as well as the safety and security of the mails.
" 'Sec. 12. The contractor shall have the right of pre-emption to three hundred and twenty acres of any lard not then disposed
of or reserved, at each point necessary for a station, not to be nearer than ten miles from each other; and provided that
no mineral land shall be thus pre-empted.
" 'Sec. 13. That the said service shall be performed within twenty-five days for each trip and that, before entering into
such contract, the Postmaster General shall be satisfied of the ability and disposition of the parties bona fide and in good
faith to perform the said contract, and shall require good and sufficient security for the performance of the same—the service
to commence within twelve months after the signing of the contract.'"
"Proposals will accordingly be received at the Contract Office of the Post Office Department until 3 p. m. of the 1st day
of June, 1857, for conveying mails under the provisions of the above act.
"Besides the starting point on the Mississippi river, bidders will name intermediate points proposed to be embraced in the
route, and otherwise designate its course as nearly as practicable.
"On the second day of July, 1857, the Department after full and mature consideration, made the following order in relation
to the route selected and the bid accepted:
" '12,578. From St. Louis, Missouri, and from Memphis, Tennessee, converging at Little Rock, Arkansas; thence via Preston,
Texas, or as nearly so as may be found advisable, to the best point of crossing the
Page 822
Rio Grande, above El Paso, and not far from Fillmore; thence, along the new road being opened and constructed under the direction
of the Secretary of the Interior, to Fort Yuma, California; thence, through the best passes, and along the best valleys for
safe and expeditious staging, to San Francisco.
" 'The foregoing route is selected for the overland mail service to California, as combining, in my judgment, more advantages
and fewer disadvantages than any other."'
"Under strong representations that a better junction of the two branches of said road could be made at Preston than at Little
Rock, on the eleventh day of September, 1857, the following orders were made:
" 'That whenever the contractors and their sureties shall file in the Post Office Department a request, in writing, that they
desire to make the junction of the two branches of said road at Preston, instead of Little Rock, the Department will permit
the same to be done by some route not further west than to Springfield, Missouri, thence by Fayetteville, Van Buren and Fort
Smith, in the State of Arkansas, to the said junction, at or near the town of Preston, in Texas; but said new line will be
adopted on the express condition that the said contractors shall not claim or demand from the Department, or from Congress,
any increased compensation for or on account of such change in the route from St. Louis, or of the point of the two routes
from Little Rock to Preston; and on the further express condition that whilst the amount of lands to which the contractors
may be entitled under the act of Congress may be estimated on either of said branches from Preston to St. Louis or Memphis,
at their option, yet the said contractors shall take one-half of that amount on each of said branches, so that neither shall
have an advantage in the way of stations and settlement over the other; and in case said contractors in selecting and locating
their lands, shall disregard this condition, or give undue advantage to one of said branches over the other, the department
reserves the power of discontinuing said new route from St. Louis to Preston, and to hold said contractors and their sureties
to the original route and terms expressed and set forth in the body of this contract.'"
"This contract went into effect on September 16, 1858. This route was divided into nine divisions. * * *"
The Sixth Division began at Fort Chadbourne, Texas, thence by way of Fort Belknap, Gainesville, and Sherman on to Colbert's
Ferry (13½ miles), making a total of 282½ miles in sixty-five hours and twenty-five minutes.
The Seventh Division covered the route through the Indian Territory and was as follows: "Colbert's Ferry to Fisher's, 13 miles;
Nale's, 14; Boggy Depot, 17; Gary's 16; Waddell's, 15; Blackburn's, 16; Pusley's 17; Riddell's, 16; Holloway's, 18; Trayson's
(Trahern's), 19; Walker's (Choctaw Agency), 16; Fort Smith, 15. Total 192 miles. Time, thirty-eight hours."
The Eighth Division began at Fort Smith, Arkansas, thence by way of Fayetteville to Springfield, Missouri, and on to Tipton.
The Ninth Division covered the route from Tipton to St. Louis by Pacific Railroad, 160 miles. Time, eleven hours and forty-five
minutes.
"Recapitulation.
| |
Miles |
Hours |
| San Francisco |
462 |
80 |
| Los Angeles to Fort Yuma |
282 |
72.20 |
| Fort Yuma to Tucson |
280 |
71.45 |
| Tucson to Franklin |
360 |
82 |
| Franklin to Fort Chadbourne |
458 |
126.30 |
| Fort Chadbourne to Colbert's Ferry |
282½ |
65.25 |
| Colbert's Ferry to Forth Smith |
192 |
38 |
| Fort Smith to Tipton |
318½ |
48.55 |
| Tipton to St. Louis |
160 |
11.40 |
| Total |
2,795 |
596.35 |
"The service on the above route was discontinued by an act of Congress, approved March 2, 1861, and the service on the Butterfield
route ceased with June 30, 1861, the date from which the central route was established from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Placerville,
Calif."
Return to top
Electronic Publishing Center |
OSU Home |
Search this Site
|
