Colbert's Ferry
Encyclopedia
Colbert's Ferry was an important Red River
crossing between Texas
and Indian Territory
from about 1850 to 1899. Both the Texas Road
and the Butterfield Overland Mail
route crossed here. It was located about a half mile southeast of present–day Colbert, Oklahoma
.
Benjamin F. Colbert established the ferry in the Chickasaw Nation
and later operated Colbert's Station at the same location when the Butterfield Overland Mail company established its stage route. The Colbert post office was opened November 17, 1853, with Walter D. Collins as postmaster.
Colbert's Ferry was added to the National Register of Historic Places
(#72001057) in 1972. Only the footings of B.F. Colbert's house are still visible.
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
crossing between Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
from about 1850 to 1899. Both the Texas Road
Texas Road
The Texas Road, also known as the Shawnee Trail, was a major trade and emigrant route across Texas, Indian Territory Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. It was the first Texas North South Cattle Drive...
and the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
route crossed here. It was located about a half mile southeast of present–day Colbert, Oklahoma
Colbert, Oklahoma
Colbert is a town in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,065 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated in 1939. It was named after Benjamin Franklin Colbert, a Native American Chickasaw descendant of Scots trader James Logan Colbert and his Chickasaw wife Minta Hoye, who had...
.
Benjamin F. Colbert established the ferry in the Chickasaw Nation
Chickasaw Nation
The Chickasaw Nation is a federally recognized Native American nation, located in Oklahoma. They are one of the members of the Five Civilized Tribes. The Five Civilized Tribes were differentiated from other Indian reservations in that they had semi-autonomous constitutional governments and...
and later operated Colbert's Station at the same location when the Butterfield Overland Mail company established its stage route. The Colbert post office was opened November 17, 1853, with Walter D. Collins as postmaster.
Colbert's Ferry was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(#72001057) in 1972. Only the footings of B.F. Colbert's house are still visible.
Sources
- Britton, Morris L. "Colbert's Ferry". Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. (accessed August 19, 2006).
- Morrison, W.B. "Colbert's Ferry on Red River, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory: Recollections of John Malcolm, Pioneer Ferryman," Chronicles of Oklahoma 16:3 (September 1938) 302-314 (accessed August 16, 2006).