Waurika Rock Island Depot
Est. 1912
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior
May 2002
Restored by Friends of the Depot
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 34° 9.777′ N, 97° 59.964′ W. Marker is in Waurika, Oklahoma, in Jefferson County. It is at the intersection of South Meridian Street (Road N2800) and East E Avenue, on the right when traveling north on South Meridian Street. The marker is mounted directly on the subject building, on the left side of the front/west entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 203 South Meridian Street, Waurika OK 73573, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Chickasaw Nation and in Southwest Oklahoma. It is also in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America,
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Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 15 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Waurika (approx. 0.3 miles away); Addington Oil Fire Memorial (approx. 6.4 miles away); Chisholm Trail Lookout Point (approx. 7.2 miles away); Southwest Baptist College (approx. 7.6 miles away); Sunnyside High School (approx. 14.6 miles away).
Regarding Waurika Rock Island Depot. National Register of Historic Places № 02000173.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Cynthia Savage, 11/2001:
The Rock Island Passenger Station in Waurika is a brick, one-story building with a side-gabled, clay tile roof and concrete foundation. Still located adjacent to the railroad tracks which divide the town, the brick paving on the track (east) side of the station remains, as does the open landscaped area on the west side of the building. Jacobethan Revival in style, the building is divided into three sections with a varyingroof height: and steeply pitched parapets differentiating the areas. The smallest section on the north side of the building housed the white restrooms and ladies lounge. The middle taller portion provided the commodious waiting area for white passengers. The south side, the longest section of building, contained the ticket office, Black waiting room and baggage and express areas.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 20252. Waurika Rock Island Depot MarkerThe marker is on the left side of the front/west entrance.In use by the railroad company until 1980, the building sat vacant for seven years. The city of Waurika purchased the building in 1984 but did not have a viable use until 1987. Through the efforts of many citizens, the building was rehabilitated for use as a community room and public library beginning in 1987 and finished by 1990, which it remains as today. Exterior work completed in the rehabilitation included repairing the roof and replacing the windows and exterior pedestrian doors with compatible new ones. The majority of interior doors are original and the historic freight doors remain in place but are no longer operable, although the hardware remains intact on the interior. Additionally, to facilitate public use of the building, a concrete handicap ramp was added to the entrance of the historic Black waiting room, now the entrance into the public library.
The Rock Island Passenger Station is significant for its association with rail transportation in Waurika, the county seat of Jefferson County. Although there were three lines one run by the competing Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway into Waurika at various times, all used the Rock Island Passenger Station for passenger loading and unloading. The building is architecturally significant as the only extant rail-related resource in Waurika and as an excellent example of a brick, Jacobethan Revival style Rock Island Railway passenger station in Oklahoma. Combined with the overwhelmingly functional design of the building, the Rock Island Passenger Station is unique in Waurika. There are no other buildings in town which are like the station. Located east of the central business district, the depot is easily distinguished from the simple, brick, flat-roofed, Commercial style buildings dominating the downtown.
As early as January 1907, talk of a new depot for Waurika appeared in the local newspaper. Although only about five years old, the first depot, located north of D Street in Oklahoma Territory, was apparently not adequate to meet the needs of the community. In October 1908, Waurika was designated a division point on the Rock Island line. By early 1909, it appeared a new station would become reality with construction to start in the spring. The new station was spurred by the anticipation that the Frisco Railway would complete a line between Ardmore and Waurika and the Enid & Waurika line, a division of the Rock Island, having a branch road near the new depot. With three roads converging on the depot, plus the hoped-for designation as county seat, the newspaper predicted ...Waurika will resemble a mining camp just after gold has been struck.
In March 1910, the Rock Island appropriated nearly $60,000 ...for the purpose of building a new passenger station and dining room at Waurika. In July 1910, Division Superintendent H.M. Hallock informed the newspaper that the contract for the new passenger station and freight depot in Waurika had been let and that work was scheduled to begin shortly. By November 1910, the Rock Island continued to unload ... several carloads of material every week at this place for the new passenger station to be built here. According to newspaper information obtained from a local resident, the new passenger station opened in September 1912.
The Rock Island Passenger Station in Waurika was constructed during the period that the railroad was still a dominant means of transportation. As such, the station was a recognizable hub for the community for many years. Despite the opening of the Burlington line in 1923, rail traffic was on the decline by the 1920s. In 1920, rail transportation peaked in America with 1,270 million passengers riding the rails to reach their destination. Within ten years, the number of railroad passengers dropped to 708 million and continued to drop over the ensuing decade to 456 million. By the 1950s, passenger travel had fallen so significantly that it was largely discontinued by railway companies. The Rock Island Passenger Station remained in use as a passenger depot until the 1950s when the Rock Island discontinued passenger travel on its line. From the 1950s to 1980, the Rock Island operated a radio communications system at the depot. In 1980, the Rock Island filed for bankruptcy and the building was vacated.
In addition to representing the by-gone era of passenger rail travel in Waurika, the Rock Island Passenger Station is one of the last, direct, extant links to the railroad in general. The freight depot, round house and yards have all faded from the landscape. The railroad track, in addition to the passenger station, are the last vestiges of this grand industry. Besides providing the primary means of transportation of people and goods, the railroad was also a significant economic factor in the development of Waurika. Twenty years after the founding of the town, the local newspaper asserted that The Rock Island pay roll in Waurika has long been one of the town's main assets.
As the most public-oriented construction undertaken by the railroad and the first impression travelers had of the town, the depot was representative of the aspirations of the company and the community. Although fading from the limelight over time, the depot continues to illustrate the significance of the railroad industry in Waurika during the first part of the twentieth century. Maintaining a good degree of integrity, the station is easily distinguished from other buildings in the community and other Oklahoma passenger stations.
Also see . . . Waurika Station (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Waurika station is a former railway station in Waurika, Oklahoma, United States. It opened for service on August 20, 1912 by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The Wichita Falls and Oklahoma Railway (subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad) additionally utilized the depot when their tracks reached Waurika in 1923. It was used by the railroad until 1980 and sold to the city in 1984. The building was rehabilitated between 1987 and 1990 to be converted to a community space. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 2002.(Submitted on May 6, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 1, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 6, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
