What began as a minor French fur trading trail became one of Oklahoma’s north/south transportation routes.
Around 1802, the French Chouteau brothers, Pierre and Auguste from St. Louis established a flourishing trading post centered in the Three Forks area, near modern Muskogee. Furs purchased from the Osage would be sent along the Arkansas river to Belle Point near Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and then on down the Mississippi. Trails established around here became known
Travel was primitive, but the foundations of the Texas Road and later, U.S. 69 was beginning to be established. Near the town of Okay, the oldest white settlement was established sometime before 1819. The trading firm of Brand and Barbour was located there. In 1820, French Point was established, where French traders would meet to trade with the Tawakonis. Settlements throughout the area were being erected, which helped tame the area once known as the Osage Trace.
By 1822, the Texas Trail had been established. While still primitive, this was one of the first true travel routes in Oklahoma. With the erection of Ft. Gibson in 1824, the trail soon became known as the Texas Road. In fact, one reason for the establishment of Ft. Gibson was to be a supply point for people using the road, as well as to provide a semblance of safety in the wild and unexplored areas west of the Mississippi.
The early 1800’s were the time of the explorers and adventurers. Wigwam Neosho was established in 1829 by Sam Houston of Texas fame. After his resignation as Governor of Tennessee, he established and ran this trading post until he left for Texas in 1833. A few years later, In 1843, Nathaniel Boone, son of Daniel Boone, explored the area, partially following the route heading north from North Fork Town to Ft. Gibson. North Fork Town, established around the same time as Ft. Gibson, was also visited by Josiah Gregg out of Ft. Smith. These early explorers helped fuel the rapid expansion that was soon to come.
In 1842, Ft. Washita was established towards the south. The Texas Road was extended and graded to connect the two, then extended south to Colbert’s Ferry. Colbert’s Ferry, established around the same time, was a ferry crossing site owned and operated by B.F. Colbert, a Chickasaw. It was a pivotal point connecting the U.S. to Texas on the Red River. Old Boggy Depot was also established, which became the largest settlement on the route and included one of the only post offices in the territory. The Texas Road now ran from Kansas south to Texas.
Following the Civil War, interest in Indian Territory boomed. While the early explorers of the 1800’s created excitement, and the Native American relocations of the 1830s brought a significant amount of civilization to the future state of Oklahoma, it was the Civil War that transformed the state.
The Treaty of 1866 opened up more settlement into the Territory. James J. McAlester established his store in 1870 where North McAlester currently exists. This was established at the crossroads of the Texas and California Roads, which partially resulted in the towns rapid expansion. The other main reason for the explosive growth was the opening of the railroads into Indian Territory.
By the 1870s, the Texas Road was already well established. As one of the main roads in Oklahoma, it had been well graded and a number of support towns existed along its route. These towns grew and new ones were established with the formation of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad (MK and T), nicknamed the Katy. The railroad followed the route of the Texas Road, running from Kansas to Texas, terminating at Colbert’s Ferry.
Not only did the railroad bolster existing towns along the Texas Road, it also helped create new “railroad” towns, such as Vinita, Chouteau, Muskogee, Atoka, Durant, and Eufaula. Today, after being repaired and re-established, this railroad line is ran by the Union Pacific.
Concurrently, while Indian Territory was being slowly opened up to white settlement, the great cattle drives were also in play. From the end of the Civil War through the late 1880’s, more than seven million head of cattle crossed Indian Territory. The old Texas Road was once again expanded. Now known as the East Shawnee Cattle Trail, it was one of the first routes used to drive cattle from Texas to Kansas and Missouri. This route ran from Baxter Springs and Kansas City in Kansas, and from Sedalia in Missouri to Colbert’s Ferry on the Texas Border.
This route was less than ideal and was essentially discontinued once the Chisolm Train was born. Mountainous regions, tall timbers, and hard to cross terrain partially contributed to this, however, it was the exordinate fees that the Native tribes charged to cross their lands and the wandering bandits that held up their caravans that caused the route to be avoided.
Still, the drives created even more growth. Both Hatfield Mission and Union Mission were established, as were the towns of Flat Rock Ford, and Boggy Deport. Perryville was established and became a big supply point for the cattle drives and travelers along the Texas Road.
By the end of the 1800’s, the Texas Road, along with the Katy was well cemented as one of the main routes in Oklahoma. When the first car arrived in 1905, the road was already primed for transportation, even more so than the famed Route 66. By Statehood, major sections of the future U.S. 69 were already being traveled by automobile.
At the beginning of 1929, the road was designated as State Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 73. Even by that early time, most of the highway was listed as “high-type and intermediate-type improved”, which means that most of the highway had been made up of cement. While not nearly as long, the future U.S. Highway 69, at the time, was in significantly better shape than the famed Route 66.
It came as no surprise that when the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 was enacted that this stretch of road would be incorporated. The highway was changed from 73 to U.S. Highway 69.
Today, just as on Route 66, there is quite a lot to see on the old Texas Road. Following Highway 69, there are numerous museums along the way, such as the Three Forks museum and Forts Gibson and Washita. Many of the small towns along the way bring back echoes of the past; much of Oklahoma’s history can still be traced along the old Texas Road, now reincarnated at U.S. Highway 69.