Last updated: March 25, 2026
Place
Bushyhead's Depot
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Westville, Oklahoma
Significance:
This site was a ration-issuing depot for Cherokee Nation citizens arriving on the Trail of Tears.
Designation:
Significant site on the Trail of Tears NHT
MANAGED BY:
Baptist Mission Cemetery
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto
George Woodall’s farm was a busy scene as groups of Cherokee Nation citizens arrived here after their 800-mile trek west from their southern Appalachian homelands. As detachments arrived, they ended their journey at a location chosen for their group. The Cherokee then scattered to select home sites nearby, but for the next year the emigrants would return to this farm for food or supplies, as promised in the 1835 removal treaty.
Woodall’s farm was one of five ration-issuing depots established in Indian Territory by the US government. Thousands arrived here in early 1839 including Hair Conrad’s detachment of 654 Cherokee in January, followed by 1,311 with Peter Hildebrand and 942 with Richard Taylor in March. Families worked hard to build homes and prepare the land for crops.
Later that year, Reverend Jesse Bushyhead purchased the Woodall farm and it became known as Bushyhead’s Depot or Breadtown. In 1841, he sold the property to the Baptist Board which set up the Baptist Mission with a church, school, and printing press. In August 1844, the first issue of the Cherokee Messenger—the first paper produced in present-day Oklahoma—rolled off the press.
Safety Considerations
Woodall’s farm was one of five ration-issuing depots established in Indian Territory by the US government. Thousands arrived here in early 1839 including Hair Conrad’s detachment of 654 Cherokee in January, followed by 1,311 with Peter Hildebrand and 942 with Richard Taylor in March. Families worked hard to build homes and prepare the land for crops.
Later that year, Reverend Jesse Bushyhead purchased the Woodall farm and it became known as Bushyhead’s Depot or Breadtown. In 1841, he sold the property to the Baptist Board which set up the Baptist Mission with a church, school, and printing press. In August 1844, the first issue of the Cherokee Messenger—the first paper produced in present-day Oklahoma—rolled off the press.
Site Information
Location (Baptist Mission Cemetery, located north of Westville, OK)Safety Considerations