Durant, OK RoadyGoat

Durant, Oklahoma, owes its existence to the Katy Railroad, which transformed it into a crucial link in the transportation network of the late 19th century. Named for Dixon Durant, a prominent figure in the Choctaw Nation, the town quickly became a center for agriculture and commerce. Though the Great Depression brought hardship to its farmers, Durant persevered, and education emerged as a cornerstone of its identity, with Southeastern Oklahoma State University shaping generations of students. The university's baseball team even claimed a national title in 1976, bringing pride to the town. Beyond local heroes, Durant has also produced talent that resonated far beyond its borders.

11.4 mi away

Tishomingo, OK RoadyGoat

Tishomingo, nestled in the Cross Timbers region of Oklahoma, carries a history etched into its slightly rolling landscape. As the capital of the Chickasaw Nation, its significance predates Oklahoma statehood; some accounts place the very genesis of the Chickasaw government near the present-day town. This legacy fostered its growth as a political center. The Civil War briefly touched Tishomingo, marked by the short-lived presence of a Confederate mint. The 1895 jail, a Victorian-era structure, stands as a reminder of this era. Today, agriculture and ranching still shape the economy, though the town has also experienced a rise in tourism.

11.8 mi away

Tishomingo, OK RoadyGoat

Tishomingo, Oklahoma, nestled in the gently rolling terrain of Johnston County, owes its character to its history as the capital of the Chickasaw Nation. While agriculture and ranching have long been staples of the local economy, the town’s political significance shaped its identity. The Chickasaw Nation’s government originated near present-day Tishomingo, establishing it as a central hub for the tribe. Today, Tishomingo balances its historical roots with a growing tourism sector. The landscape, typical of the Cross Timbers ecoregion, provides a scenic backdrop for visitors seeking a relaxed, small-town experience.

12.1 mi away

Porter, Sophia

1839

(1813-1899) Settled 1839 at Glen Eden, a site now under Lake Texoma, north of here. Husband, Holland Coffee, early trader, built fine home, welcomed 1845-60, U. S. Army officers including Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. During Civil War, wined and dined passing Federal scouts, found out they were seeking Col. Jas. Bourland, Confederate defender of Texas frontier. While guests were busy, she slipped out, swam her horse across icy Red River, warned Col. Bourland, helped prevent Federal invasion of North Texas.

Historical Marker → · 16.0 mi away

Porter, Sophia Suttenfield

1836

Sophia Porter, North Texas pioneer, was born on December 3, 1815, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the second child of William and Laura (Taylor) Suttenfield (or Suttonfield). Little is known of her childhood, but many stories exist about her adult life and her four marriages. In 1833 she married Jesse Augustine Aughinbaugh (or Auginbaugh), a druggist and teacher. In 1835 the couple arrived in Nacogdoches, where she said Aughinbaugh deserted her. As a participant in the Runaway Scrape , Sophia claimed to have arrived at the battle of San Jacinto and to have nursed Sam Houston there. Holland Coffee , a member of the House of Representatives and an Indian trader, successfully lobbied the Texas Congress to pass a bill granting Sophia Aughinbaugh a divorce from her missing husband, and on January 19, 1839, she and Coffee were married at Independence in Washington County. From there the couple traveled over 600 miles to Coffee's Station on the Red River in Grayson County. There they developed Glen Eden Plantation and the town of Preston until Coffee was killed in 1846. In December 1847 Sophia married Maj. George N. Butt (or Butts), who helped her run Glen Eden until he was killed in 1863. Butt reportedly was ambushed by a member of William C. Quantrill 's gang. The sobriquet "Confederate Paul Revere" was given Sophia during the Civil War , when she is said to have ridden her mount across the Red River to warn Col. James G. Bourland and his men that Union troops were at her plantation. The story continues that Mrs. Butt supplied the enemy with enough wine that they remained unaware of her departure. One account claims she locked the inebriated men in her wine cellar while she rode off. Other variants say either that Bourland escaped the Unionists or that he came to Glen Eden and captured them. On August 2, 1865, Sophia Butt married Judge James Porter, and they lived together at Glen Eden until his death in 1886. Sophia joined the Methodist church in Sherman in 1869. She had no children, but she raised two of Holland Coffee's nieces. She died on August 27, 1897, and was buried near Glen Eden. When the area was to be inundated to form Lake Texoma, her home was dismantled with the intention that it be reassembled as a museum of Grayson County history, but the wood was mistakenly burned.

Tsha Handbook → · 17.7 mi away

Coffee, Holland

1837

Established about 1837 for trade with the Indians of the Red River region and the western plains. Here many white captives of the Red Men were redeemed. From its vicinity the Snively Expedition set out for New Mexico on April 25, 1843. Abandoned after Coffee's death in 1846.

Historical Marker → · 16.0 mi away

Glen Eden Plantation

1837

Glen Eden Plantation, a Red River plantation of Preston Bend, Grayson County, was begun by Holland Coffee after he moved to the bend in 1837 to establish a trading post. In 1839 he married Sophia Suttenfield Aughinbaugh ( see PORTER, SOPHIA). The plantation land was almost all acquired by Coffee. The mansion was built in stages. The original undergirding log house was of a two-story dogtrot design that was large and imposing for its time. It was probably built by the Mormon congregation of Lyman Wight in the winter of 1845–46. The building had two large native stone chimneys, one on each end. It seems to have had a cellar or basement from an early date. The house was a mile from the river near Little Mineral Creek on the Preston Road leading to Dallas. Coffee was killed in the fall of 1846. His above-ground, brick crypt was a noted feature of the plantation. It is uncertain when the name Glen Eden was first used. It does not appear in early records or in news articles at the time of Sophia's death (1897). Operations of the plantation included a Red River ferry, stock, development of the town of Preston, production of corn and cotton, orchards, and freighting. The plantation was quite a social center, and Sophia was noted for her imagination and her fondness for parties. Over the years modifications to the log structure were made. Outside planking, upper and lower porches, and a kitchen ell were added in the mid-1860s. Sophia hired a nephew, J. W. Williams, as manager. Williams married Isabel (Belle) Skelly, Sophia's seamstress and confidante. Sophia continued as the mistress of the plantation until her death. The estate was bequeathed to Williams and Mary Elizabeth Jewell Mosely. The mansion was last owned by Judge Randolph Bryant. In 1942 it was dismantled for restoration as a historical site above the future shoreline of Lake Texoma. However, the project never succeeded. Some logs and timber from the mansion have been acquired by the Frontier Village of Grayson County. Items from the plantation can be seen in the Red River Valley Historical Museum in Sherman.

Tsha Handbook → · 17.7 mi away

Huff, John

1824

John Huff, early settler, soldier, and judge, was born in Pennsylvania around 1801 and traveled to Texas in the early 1820s, in time to be one of Stephen F. Austin 's Old Three Hundred colonists. On July 10, 1824, he received title to a sitio on the west side of the San Bernard River, at the head of Bay Prairie, now in Wharton County. George Huff , who was probably his brother, acquired title to the adjoining sitio six weeks later. In the 1826 census John Huff was classified as a blacksmith, a single man aged between twenty-five and forty. In May 1830 he married Sarah Emiline Savage by bond in Austin County. He was elected a sublieutenant for the fourth militia district in 1829. In 1830 he presided over the alcalde election held at Lawrence Ramey 's In February 1836 he was a teller for the election to choose delegates from Bay Prairie to the Convention of 1836 . He was on the 1838 committee at Preston that nominated Mirabeau B. Lamar for president of the republic. Huff served in the Goliad campaigns of 1835 and 1836 . On October 15, 1835, he joined George Collinsworth and Philip Dimmitt at Goliad, which they had captured five days earlier. After Collinsworth left, Huff stayed on at Goliad to serve under Dimmitt. On November 21, 1835, he signed the Goliad Resolutions protesting Stephen F. Austin's dismissal of Dimmitt. He remained at Goliad until January 15, 1836, when he and the other Bay Prairie men were sent home. On February 1 he joined Col. Albert C. Horton 's company and went back to Goliad. During the 1836 campaign he served as a scout with the advance troops and escaped capture. He caught up with the Texas army at the Brazos River and joined Capt. William Walker's company of volunteers, assigned to help Capt. Wyly Martin defend the crossing at Thompson's Ferry . Greatly outnumbered, they could not hold back Santa Anna and his troops and so withdrew. Martin then dismissed the men and sent them to help the women and children in the Runaway Scrape . Huff received a total of 1,280 acres in bounty and donation grants for this service. At the first Matagorda County election in July 1837 he was elected justice of the peace for the Third District. On December 5, 1837, he and his wife were married again in Matagorda County by Seth Ingram ; this was to ensure that their marriage would be legal under the laws of the Republic of Texas . In the spring of 1838, D. D. D. Baker, Charles DeMorse , and Huff were promoting the new town of Preston, located at the head of Bay Prairie. They predicted that it would become the county seat of a new county to be formed north of Matagorda County. Preston grew, and a post office was established; Huff was postmaster in 1839 and 1840. But when Wharton County was formed in 1846 the town of Wharton became the county seat, and Preston soon disappeared. In 1851 Huff was operating Huff's Hotel, one of the earliest resort hotels on the Texas coast, at Decros Point , overlooking Cavallo Pass on Matagorda Peninsula . John and Sarah Huff both died in Lavaca City, Calhoun County, in 1855.

Tsha Handbook → · 17.7 mi away

Lake Texoma

1944

Completed 1944, Texoma is today the second largest lake in Texas and the eleventh largest reservoir in capacity in the United States. Its main purposes are flood control, power generation, and recreation. Lake Texoma was promoted largely through the efforts of Sam Rayburn (1882-1961), noted speaker of the house who represented District 4 in Congress for 49 years. In normal operation, lake shoreline covers 550 miles, with the Red River arm (45 miles) in Texas and the Washita arm (30 miles) in Oklahoma covering 93,080 acres. The waters are impounded by Denison Dam. When Texoma was created, it caused the relocation of railroads, highways, utilities, and cemeteries. The site of Preston, historically the Red River crossing for the Butterfield Stage, was submerged, as were the sites of Hagerman and part of Cedar Mills, Texas. In 1966 numerous recreation areas on Texoma drew 8,500,000 tourists, who could also visit Eisenhower State Park at the southeast end of the lake. The park was named in honor of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the thirty-fourth president of the United States. Texoma is one of more than 200 major inland lakes and reservoirs in Texas which contribute greatly to the economic and industrial growth of the state.

Historical Marker → · 19.8 mi away

Fort Washita, Oklahoma

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History of Fort Washita

Durant, OK RoadyGoat

Tishomingo, OK RoadyGoat

Tishomingo, OK RoadyGoat

Porter, Sophia

Porter, Sophia Suttenfield

Coffee, Holland

Glen Eden Plantation

Huff, John

Lake Texoma

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