National Historic Trail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Stagecoach Route through Indian Territory
1858-1861
My book on the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route in Oklahoma is now available in both paperback and Kindle! Purchase through Amazon here: Order from Amazon
Or have a signed copy shipped to you by ordering here: Order signed copy
Have a special request or want to discuss a book signing? Email me at susan.dragoo@gmail.com.
Finding the Butterfield: A Journey Through Time in Indian Territory takes the reader through the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, both in the late 1850s as a passenger on the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach and in the 2020s as an explorer seeking the remnants of the old trail in present-day Oklahoma. The Butterfield Overland Mail route of 1858-1861 was the United States’ first transcontinental stagecoach route, running from St. Louis and Memphis more than 2,800 miles to San Francisco, delivering the mail in less than twenty-five days, a remarkable performance for overland travel in the day. In 2023, the route was designated a National Historic Trail by the federal government, and the National Park Service is currently in the process of developing an interpretive plan for the entire trail. This book is the outcome of eight years of researching and exploring the two hundred miles of the trail which crossed the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, in present-day southeastern Oklahoma. This segment brims with historical treasure both in the sense of the physical remains of the trail and the insights into this pivotal time in the lives of the Choctaws and Chickasaws between removal and the Civil War. Building on the work done by historians in the 1930s and 1950s, this work updates the knowledge about the trail and its current state, also providing a guide for others to explore the old trail for themselves. Published by Dragoo Adventures Media.
Publications & Resources
Reviews for Finding the Butterfield:
For ongoing updates, see the Facebook page for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Butterfield National Historic Trail Association here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/632468585655434/. Join the Butterfield National Historic Trail Association Membership and support the preservation of the trail! Download the membership application below.
Newsletters for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Butterfield National Historic Trail Association:
Recent Publications
New! “Who Ran Fisher’s Station?” https://susandragoo.com/2025/07/13/who-ran-fishers-station/
“The Butterfield Trail in Indian Territory: Rocks, Ruts and Springs,” Oklahoma Magazine, July 2024. https://relayto.com/oklahoma-hall-of-fame/july-2024-ohof-magazine-yi704iulspg4g/NUvtgjoE20
“The Butterfield Trail in Indian Territory: Time Travel on Wheels,” OutdoorX4, Issue 50.
“Death on the Butterfield,” Desert Tracks, June 2023.
“Butterfield’s Overland Mail in the Indian Territory,” Overland Journal, quarterly of the Oregon-California Trails Association, Vol. 41, No. 2, Summer 2023.
“Post Haste,” Oklahoma Today, July/August 2018
“Marking the Butterfield,” Chronicles of Oklahoma, Spring 2019
“Retracing the Butterfield Route Across Oklahoma,” Expedition Portal, March 9, 2020: https://expeditionportal.com/retracing-the-butterfield-route-across-oklahoma/
Videos and Webinars
Oklahoma Today Podcast, August 12, 2024: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-5-episode-33-finding-the-butterfield-with/id1480009390?i=1000665030897
“Rocks, Ruts and Springs,” webinar for Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office, April 2024. https://youtu.be/ZOyGOddk5fo?si=YZEBNGA4Akh-XXx8
The Butterfield Trail in Oklahoma (Produced by Richard Hunt, Oregon-California Trails Association) https://youtu.be/Q1VD6YF1bVc
The Butterfield Trail in Oklahoma (YouTube video from Tombstone Gathering of the Southern Trails Chapter of Oregon-California Trails Association, Produced by Richard Hunt): https://youtu.be/2e9g6M-BGBc
Articles from the Chronicles of Oklahoma
Early Trails Through Oklahoma by Grant Foreman, Vol. 3 No. 2, June 1925, 99-119. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1826904/
California Mail Route Through Oklahoma by Grant Foreman, Vol. 9 No. 3, September 1931, 300-317. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1827063/
Historic Places on the Old Stage Line by Muriel Wright, Vol. 11 No. 2, Summer 1933, 798-822. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2191873/
American Airlines Along the Butterfield Mail Route by Vernon H. Brown, Vol. 33 No. 1, Spring 1955, 2-13. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1796160/
Tour Along the Old Butterfield Overland Mail Route, Vol. 33 No. 3, Autumn 1955, 394-396. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1827495/
The Butterfield Overland Mail One Hundred Years Ago by Muriel H. Wright, Vol. 35 No. 1, Spring 1957, 55-71. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1760988/
Notes on the Butterfield Overland Mail Centennial, Vol. 35 No. 2, Summer 1957, 228-229. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1760989/
Centennial of the Butterfield Overland Mail Organization, Vol. 35 No. 4, Winter 1957-58, 474-477. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1760991/
Stagecoach Mail, Oklahoma’s Philatelic Year by George H. Shirk, Vol. 36 No. 1, Spring 1958, 51. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1796162/
Committee Report, Butterfield Overland Mail, Vol. 36 No. 4, Winter 1958-59, 446-472. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1796165/
Lieutenant Averell’s Ride at the Outbreak of the Civil War, Vol. 39 No.1, Spring 1961, 2-20. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2123780/
Old Boggy Depot, Vol. 5 No. 1, Spring 1927, 4-17. https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2191611/
Driving Route and Station Waypoints
Email me at susan.dragoo@gmail.com for .gpx files for driving route.
Station and important landmark waypoints:
Walker’s Station 35.25110, -94.59135
Skullyville Cemetery 35.25130, -94.59436
Trahern’s Station 35.12362, -94.80192
Edwards Store (https://edwardsstore.com/) 34.99750, -94.97420
Holloway’s Station 34.97586, -95.05120
Riddle’s Station 34.92035, -95.25617
Mountain Station 34.83669, -95.42446
Pusley’s Station 34.79684, -95.46578
Blackburn’s Station 34.66957, -95.74213
Waddell’s Station 34.56725, -95.93317
Geary’s Station (inundated under Lake Atoka) Approx. Site 34.45577, -96.08921
Atoka County Museum and Confederate Cemetery (https://www.okhistory.org/sites/atokamuseum) 34.40010, -96.11710
Boggy Depot 34.31942, -96.30777
Nail’s Crossing 34.12820, -96.39309
Fisher’s Station 33.98527, -96.45444
Colbert’s Ferry 33.81837, -96.51614
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