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 Chickasaw Nation, and
served as a stop along the military road from Fort Washita to
Fort Smith.

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 the 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. 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 much  history has
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