Checotah MKT Depot - Checotah, OK
N 35° 28.278 W 095° 32.211
15S E 269817 N 3928269
The Checotah MKT Depot is now home to the Katy Depot Museum and Visitors Center at 1000 Paul Carr Dr, Checotah, OK, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Waymark Code: WMZ156
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/24/2018
Views: 3
They are closed during the winter, but in the other months, they are open Thursday through Saturday from 11 AM to 4 PM, and on Sunday from 2 PM to 4 PM. One can also call one of the phone numbers on their sign to make other arrangements.
The National Register's Continuation Sheet is a wonderful read, not too lengthy, and it goes into some detail about how this depot was preserved. This is the second permanent depot in Checotah, and the original (c. 1890) depot building appears to have been absorbed into this one, with some of the previous building's materials having been used to construct this replacement between 1903 and 1904.
This depot is one of just several Territorial-era (1861-1907) depots remaining in the entire state of Oklahoma, and we are fortunate to have this depot with us, a nice example of Stick style architecture. Over time, railroad and social needs resulted in changes being made to the depot, but nothing was done to destroy its architectural integrity. Passenger service was discontinued in 1965, and by the late 1970s, the depot was no longer in use. As it sat abandoned, its future was in doubt until it was purchased by the Checotah Landmark Preservation Society in 1985. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company only agreed to the sale if the depot was relocated from its original location in Checotah on US 266, requiring removal of the depot's roof and the building's being broken down into several sections before being carted here in early 1986. After the move, repairs were made, and in some cases, comparable replacements were made where original materials had simply worn out.