How Briartown Got Its Depot
Briartown is located in the southeast corner of Muskogee County about six miles south of Porum. It was a recognized community even before the outbreak of hostilities of the Civil War. The US Post Office established a branch there in 1882.
When the Midland Valley Railroad Company expanded rail service south, Briartown residents looked forward to lower shipping costs and quicker passenger service. There were reasons for resident optimism.
In 1910, the town had a population of about seventy souls. There were two stores, a gristmill and a blacksmith shop. The farms in the Canadian River bottoms were less than three miles distant. Average farms were of eighty acres in size.
Wagon roads stretched in every direction. Via such a network, larger communities in the area such as Hoyt and Whitefield were expected to make use of the railroad connection established at Briartown.
Yet, the extension of the Midland Valley railroad to Briartown did not mean the train company built and staffed a depot with an agent. At a meeting promoting the establishment of the railroad, the company's general manager said that Briartown would be a "regular stop" on the line.
Instead, the railroad company built switching facilities and a loading dock with a flagpole. The rail line used the dock for off loading incoming freight. The cotton gin at Hoyt, about five miles away, could stack 500-pound bales of cotton on the dock for shipment to larger markets.
Passengers wanting to take the train raised a flag on the flagpole to signal the railroad engineer to stop in Briartown. They purchased their tickets from the local postmaster about a hundred feet from the train stop.
Dr. George Gulledge, a Tennessean, thought the railroad company should build a full depot in Briartown for handling railroad business. Otherwise, freight and passengers remained on the dock regardless of the weather conditions. After not getting the approval of railroad officials, Dr. Gulledge filed a claim with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in Oklahoma City.
Midland Valley Railroad Company countered that Hoyt and Whitefield shippers were south of the Canadian River and were thus unlikely to ship out of the Briartown station. Furthermore, Porum, just eight miles north, served the Briartown area adequately. The area south of the Canadian River would be adequately served by the Stigler railroad station claimed the company.
The last two months in 1910 saw the Briartown postmaster selling passenger tickets worth a total of $275 and $396 respectively. Inbound freight according the company amounted to less than $500 for the previous year. During the same period, outbound freight amounted less than $400 according to the company record keeper. Briartown passengers numbered about two a day.
Midland Valley reported building a depot would cost about $1500. This, they believed, was more than the traffic would support. Despite the company's argument, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission ordered the construction of a railroad depot in Briartown. The commission also ordered the depot to be completed by the middle of September 1911. Thus, Briartown gained its railroad station.
When the Midland Valley Railroad Company expanded rail service south, Briartown residents looked forward to lower shipping costs and quicker passenger service. There were reasons for resident optimism.
In 1910, the town had a population of about seventy souls. There were two stores, a gristmill and a blacksmith shop. The farms in the Canadian River bottoms were less than three miles distant. Average farms were of eighty acres in size.
Wagon roads stretched in every direction. Via such a network, larger communities in the area such as Hoyt and Whitefield were expected to make use of the railroad connection established at Briartown.
Yet, the extension of the Midland Valley railroad to Briartown did not mean the train company built and staffed a depot with an agent. At a meeting promoting the establishment of the railroad, the company's general manager said that Briartown would be a "regular stop" on the line.
Instead, the railroad company built switching facilities and a loading dock with a flagpole. The rail line used the dock for off loading incoming freight. The cotton gin at Hoyt, about five miles away, could stack 500-pound bales of cotton on the dock for shipment to larger markets.
Passengers wanting to take the train raised a flag on the flagpole to signal the railroad engineer to stop in Briartown. They purchased their tickets from the local postmaster about a hundred feet from the train stop.
Dr. George Gulledge, a Tennessean, thought the railroad company should build a full depot in Briartown for handling railroad business. Otherwise, freight and passengers remained on the dock regardless of the weather conditions. After not getting the approval of railroad officials, Dr. Gulledge filed a claim with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in Oklahoma City.
Midland Valley Railroad Company countered that Hoyt and Whitefield shippers were south of the Canadian River and were thus unlikely to ship out of the Briartown station. Furthermore, Porum, just eight miles north, served the Briartown area adequately. The area south of the Canadian River would be adequately served by the Stigler railroad station claimed the company.
The last two months in 1910 saw the Briartown postmaster selling passenger tickets worth a total of $275 and $396 respectively. Inbound freight according the company amounted to less than $500 for the previous year. During the same period, outbound freight amounted less than $400 according to the company record keeper. Briartown passengers numbered about two a day.
Midland Valley reported building a depot would cost about $1500. This, they believed, was more than the traffic would support. Despite the company's argument, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission ordered the construction of a railroad depot in Briartown. The commission also ordered the depot to be completed by the middle of September 1911. Thus, Briartown gained its railroad station.
Labels: Briartown, Dr. George Gulledge, Midland Valley Railroad Company, Oklahoma Corporation Commission
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