Historical Marker Program

Butterfield Trail in Indian Territory

Atoka County
Location: on grounds of Atoka Museum and Civil War Cemetery, Atoka
Coordinates: 34.399071, -96.116760
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Lake Atoka Reservation Association, Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust, City of Atoka, City of Oklahoma City
Topics: Transportation; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

On September 16, 1857, the John Butterfield Company received a federal contract to transport mail from Missouri to San Francisco in under 25 days. Semi-weekly trips began a year later. Twelve relay stations lined the Butterfield Trail in Indian Territory. Three (Waddell’s Station, Geary’s Station and Boggy Depot) were in present-day Atoka County. The Butterfield Trail permitted early trans-continental communication and was vital to settling the West. But its impact was short-lived. Service was halted by the Civil War (1861–1865). Afterward, railroads transported mail more quickly, rendering the Butterfield Trail obsolete. Marker commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Butterfield Trail in Indian Territory.