Historical Marker Program

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.