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. 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!