Riddle's Station, Overland Mail stagecoach stop in Oklahoma
Riddle's Station was a stagecoach stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route through what was once the Choctaw Nation in present-day Latimer County. It sat on the west side of Forche Maline creek and provided travelers with rest, fresh horses, and water and feed for their animals.
The station was established around 1858 when the Choctaw Council granted Captain John Riddle permission to build a bridge and tollbooth near his site. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the mail service slowed and eventually stopped as routes became unsafe and were relocated north.
The station was named after Captain John Riddle, a Choctaw leader who held positions on the Choctaw Council and shaped the local community. It reflects how Native American station keepers managed these vital stops and collected tolls to support their businesses and keep services running.
You can reach the station via dirt roads beyond Wilburton, marked by maps and signs to help locate it. The site is positioned near a cemetery on its east side, so plan time to explore the surrounding area.
The Butterfield route was not new but followed existing wagon trails that had been used during the forced removal of the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples. This reuse of the path connected the history of removal to a new era of communication and commerce.
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