Historical Marker Program

Colbert’s Ferry

Bryan County
Location: on OK-91/N Franklin Street in Colbert
Coordinates: 33.853621, -96.502471
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Topics: American Indians; Government; Social/Cultural; Transportation; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

Colbert’s Ferry, authorized by the Chickasaw Nation, was located about three miles south of the present town of Colbert on the Red River. Benjamin F. Colbert owned the ferry, which was utilized by the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. The Colbert post office was established on November 17, 1853, by Walter D. Collins, postmaster.

Colbert’s Ferry

Bryan County
Location: on River Road/E 2205 Road, approximately 2.5 miles south of Colbert
Coordinates: 33.818386, -96.516127
Material: Other (Concrete with bronze plaque)
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Transportation; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

In 1857, Congress created the Butterfield Overland Mail Route to carry mail and passengers between St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, and points west. It was the first real transcontinental link between the Atlantic states and the Pacific Coast of the United States. There were 12 stations along a 197-mile route in Oklahoma, including Colbert’s Ferry. This marker commemorates the site of the Butterfield stage stop at Colbert’s Ferry.

Colbert’s Ferry and Toll Bridge

Bryan County
Location: in Colbert Family Cemetery, approximately 2.5 miles south of Colbert
Coordinates: 33.817220, -96.515880
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: American Indians; Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Transportation; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

There are two low-lying granite markers at this location. One marker commemorates Colbert’s Ferry, which was operated by Benjamin F. Colbert and authorized by the Chickasaw Nation in 1853. It conveyed wagons, passengers, and livestock across the Red River. From 1857 to 1861, the ferry served as a stage station for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. The other marker commemorates Colbert’s Toll Bridge, which was a wagon bridge constructed in 1874. It was destroyed almost one year later due to a flood and rebuilt in 1892. The bridge was rebuilt again after a flood in 1908 and served as a toll bridge until 1931.