In relation to most Oklahoma towns, which were either
founded upon the Sooner land rush or along rail road
stations, Boggy Depot got its start very early. By the late
1830s, Boggy Depot centered the Choctaw/ Chickasaw
Nation, served as a stop along the military road from Fort
Washita to Fort Smith, and would later become the seat of
the autonomous Chickasaw Nation.

Early Beginnings
Boggy Depot grew in importance as cowboys along the
Shawnee cattle trail, and travelers on the Butterfield
Overland Stagecoach route, passed through the town. Some
enterprising men erected a toll bridge across Boggy Creek,
supplanting the ferry crossing. Boggy Depotians (if that's
what they called themselves) built Oklahoma's first Masonic
Lodge above a church, and a large school house
accommodated the area's families.

By the eve of the Civil War, Boggy Depot held all the
trappings of a good sized town. An apothecary, mortuary,
blacksmith shop, bakery, hotel, and dry goods store ensured
that the town dominated as a trading center. One could also
find a flour mill, cotton gin, bois d'arc seed mill (which sold
seeds to  farmers who made bois d'arc fences), and a salt
works. A Confederate camp comprised of mostly Chickasaw
and Choctaw soldiers was established just west of the town,
and a Union ambush resulted in several deaths.

Lost Town
After the war, the Chickasaw and Choctaw national
boundaries were redrawn. Boggy Depot ended up being in
Choctaw territory, so many of the Chickasaws abandoned the
town to establish new settlements - such as New Boggy
Depot- further west. The KATY railroad cut a swath about 12
miles east of Boggy Depot along the Shawnee cattle trail, and
Atoka gained prominence along the tracks. The Boggy Depot
post office stopped accepting mail in 1883.

Today, Boggy Depot consists merely of a few open fields in a
small state park. A museum commemorates the town. All of
the old buildings are gone, although markers indicate what
used to be where. The cemetery is the only visible remnant
of this busy and interesting Chickasaw town.
A marker commemorates the Boggy Depot's
Butterfield Overland Stage Coach stop.
An old, abandoned road upon which many men, horses, wagons,
and history have traveled.
The Boggy Depot cemetery contains graves
from the earliest settlers of Oklahoma
(including that of Rev. Allen Wright, who
coined the name "Oklahoma.") The wall that
surrounded these graves of prominent
people has been dismantled by later settlers
needing stones to build their houses
(dismantling cemeteries is a surprisingly
common American practice!).

Along the wall, I found an old, folded piece
of paper with a message written in ink:
"Contact me if I can use these rocks." No
name, date, or address  was given, which I
thought peculiar.
Ghostly Directions!
Today, the site of Boggy Depot is a state
park, tucked away along isolated roads and
miles from any larger town. Its hidden
location makes Boggy Depot an adventure
to find - but it also lives up to its ghost town
status. Boo!

To get to Boggy Depot, you'll have to do
some winding around. From Durant, take OK
78 north, then take OK 48 north at the fork
all the way to Wapanucka. In Wapanucka,
go east on OK 7, then turn onto N3760
Road (named something else; it's the 3rd
street about 2-3 miles east of Wapanucka).
There will be a sign on OK 7 indicating the
road to Boggy Depot State Park.
This hand carved, neglected
stone in the cemetery provided
me with more than a photo
opportunity. I had been taking
pictures in the cemetery and
upon rounding this stone, I
smelled perfume. The scent was
pretty strong, although no one
was around me. I could not see
flowers on any of the graves,
and I don't wear perfume myself.
My camera started acting up
(weird squiggly lines across the
screen) moments later.

I believe in ghosts. Though I
didn't see anything, I believe I
did witness something special.
Whatever it was, I decided it was
best to leave the cemetery (no, I
didn't run, though I felt like it...)
Chickasaw Ghost Town: Boggy Depot
Boo!
Hi there. I came across your site while doing research on Oklahoma and the Civil
War. I'm proud to say I'm from the Boggy Depot area (Tushka which also has a
fascinating history). Technically I'm not from Boggy but I live on Boggy Depot Rd. I
wanted to tell you there is a much better way to get to the park than the directions
on your site.

From Durant head north on hwy 69/75 to Tushka (6 miles south of Atoka). Once
you see the sign for Tushka and the blinking school caution light, look for the sign
for Boggy Depot State Park. Turn west on Boggy Depot Road and the park is 8
miles down that road. It's a heavily traveled and well maintained paved road.
Boggy Depot Road stretches from the west end of Atoka County to close to 20
miles east.

Incidentally Jerry Cantrell guitarist  for Alice In Chains was raised in the area. Lain
Lake Road just south of Boggy is named for his grandparents. In fact he titled his
solo album Boggy Depot znd the cover art shows him waist deep in the Boggy.

I also noticed you have written a book on Bonnie and Clyde. Have you been to
Strongtown to see the shootout location? There is also the Confederate Memorial
Museum north of Atoka on hwy 69 to Stringtown. They have Bonnie and Clyde
memorabilia including a purse found in the car stolen and abandoned by Clyde
Barrow in Atoka County. Many believe the purse may have belonged to Bonnie
Parker though it has not been proven since she wad in Texas at the time of the
shootout.

Well just wanted to share some info about my hometown!

Shawna from Atoka, Oklahoma
Here's some great information (including much better directions!) from a reader:
Listen to / read  this great NPR story on
the fate of Boggy Depot. My comments
are in the middle of the story.

Tribes Save Boggy Depot Park After State
Spending Cuts
Surrounding Boggy Depot are
still remains of the past, like this
wattle and daub house that sits
in a field.