Near Atoka in Atoka County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Boggy Depot

Cyrus Harris

Photographed by James Hulse, September 10, 2025

1. Boggy Depot Marker

Inscription. Cyrus Harris, who would become the first elected Chickasaw Governor, arrived with one of the first parties to reach Boggy Depot. He built the first log cabin on the ridge between Clear Boggy and Sandy Creeks. Harris was born August 22, 1817, near Pontotoc, Mississippi, and left for Indian Territory in 1837. Harris' formal education began at Monroe Missionary in Mississippi, in 1827 and he attended a school for Indians in Tennessee, from 1828-1830. Harris was the first elected Governor of the Chickasaw Nation in 1856 when the Chickasaw Constitution was signed into law.

Left Panel
Boggy Depot
1800 - 1850
1805 - "Vazzures" or "Boggy" River Travel by French Traders
1837 - Chickasaws settle at Boggy Depot Cyrus Harris among the first to arrive.
1840 - Cyrus Kingsbury & Ebenezer Hotchkin found Presybterian Mission Church at Boggy Depot
1840-1860 - Shawnee / Texas Trail also known as the Military Road stops at Boggy Depot
1849 - Post Office established at Boggy Depot

1850 - 1860
1850 - Star Mail Route Ft. Smith to Boggy Depot
1855 - Treaty between the Choctaws & Chickasaws Establish Boggy Depot in the

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Choctaw Nation
1858-1860 - Boggy Depot home of Choctaw Capitol & Council
1858 - Butterfield Overland Stage & Mail Route stops at Boggy Depot
1859 - Governor Basil LeFlore holds Choctaw Council at Boggy Depot
1859 - Allen Wright Moves to Boggy Depot

1860 - 1870
1864 - Civil War Battle "Battle of Middle Boggy" takes place
1866 Allen Wright elected Principle Chief of Choctaw Nation
1866 - Treaty between Choctaws Chickasaws, and the US Government to permanently redraw land boundries.
1866 - The Choctaws and Chickasaws, in consideration of the sum of three hundred thousand dollars, hereby cede to the United States the territory west of the 98° west longitude.
1869 - Rev. J.S. Murrow establishes a Masonic Lodge at Boggy Depot
1871-1872 - MK&T Railroad Finishes tracks at nearby Atoka

1870 - 2011
1873-1874 - Flour mill and cotton gin established at Boggy Depot
1883 - Boggy Depot Post Office stops mail service
1958 - Boggy Depot recognized as an Oklahoma State Park
1972 - Boggy Depot added to the National Register for Historic Places
2010 - Future Closure of Boggy Depot State Park Announced
2011 - Choctaw & Chickasaw Nations

Boggy Depot Marker - Reverse Side image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 10, 2025

2. Boggy Depot Marker - Reverse Side

Resume Control of Boggy Depot Park

Timeline, courtesy of the Choctaw Nation

Right Panel
Captions
(Photo #1) Governor Cyrus Harris Image courtesy: Oklahoma Historical Society

Reverse Side
Boggy Depot received its name from the Boggy River, which is located about one mile west of the old Boggy Depot town site. The name "Boggy" was given to the river by French traders in the 1700s, who called the river "Vazzure." Probably derived from the word "vaseux," meaning miry, swampy or boggy. Boggy Depot was one of the focal points and a vital landmark for the Chickasaws and the Choctaws during the Indian Removal and became home to many.

President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Choctaws began removing from their homeland in Mississippi in 1832, while the Chickasaws began removing from their homelands in Mississippi in 1837. Under the Treaty of Doaksville in 1837, Chickasaws moved into the Choctaw Nation, making a Chickasaw District within the Choctaw Nation. This resulted in Chickasaws becoming a political minority within the Choctaw Nation. Identified by the United States government as a station

The view of the Boggy Depot Marker along the park road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 10, 2025

3. The view of the Boggy Depot Marker along the park road

for Chickasaws to pick up supplies, Boggy Depot became a site where many Chickasaws and Choctaws settled upon their arrival in Indian Territory. At that time, Boggy Depot was in the eastern part of the Chickasaw District in the Choctaw Nation.

Left Panel
Captions
(Photo #1) Painting by Tom Phillips, Chickasaw Removal. Courtesy: The Chickasaw Nation

Right Panel
Captions
(Photo #1) Image courtesy of The Chickasaw Nation

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is August 22, 1817.

Location. 34° 19.201′ N, 96° 18.547′ W. Marker is near Atoka, Oklahoma, in Atoka County. It is on South Park Lane 1½ miles north of W Boggy Depot Rd, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located on grounds of the Historic Boggy Depot State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4684 S Park Ln, Atoka OK 74525, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oklahoma’s Choctaw Nation.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

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and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations during the Civil War (a few steps from this marker); Chief Allen Wright (within shouting distance of this marker); Prairie Grassland (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Boggy Depot (approx. 3½ miles away); Oklahoma's First Catholic Church (approx. 9.8 miles away); Captain Atoka (approx. 11.4 miles away); Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 11.4 miles away); 45th Infantry Division Memorial Highway (approx. 11.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atoka.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 160 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 13, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.