Hugo Frisco Railroad Depot
a.k.a. Frisco Depot
N. A and Jackson Sts., Hugo, OKThe Hugo Frisco depot symbolizes the importance of the railroad to the community and recalls an era of transportation in the history of the nation that today few can recall. Hugo, Oklahoma, owes its existence to the railroad. Building southwest out of Arkansas, the St. Louis and San Francisco (Frisco) reached the area that is now Hugo in 1887, its tracks then being extended on south across Red River into Texas. In 1902 this line was intersected by another railroad also building out of Arkansas known as the Arkansas and Choctaw Railroad. At the junction of the two lines the town of Hugo was platted and soon became the principal commercial center of the region. Its significance was recognized in 1907 when it was designated as the county seat of Choctaw County by the new state of Oklahoma. The stability of the town was further assured when the Frisco purchased the Arkansas and Choctaw Railroad and made Hugo the site of its regional headquarters and roundhouse.
As early as 1902 the Frisco constructed its first passenger station in Hugo. This original facility was found to be inadequate to the needs of the company, causing it to build a new depot about 1911. Two years later (1913), however, the wooden structure caught fire and burned to its foundations. Railroad officials determined to rebuild the depot, but out of materials that would not burn. The result was the construction in 1914 of the present "Frisco Depot." Designed by staff architects and built by the company's Bridge and Building Crew, the new facility--by its size and bulk--demonstrated the importance of the community to the Frisco system. This was also suggested by the fact that the regional business offices of the company were housed in the building. That the depot also contained a Harvey House restaurant and provided self-contained quarters for the "Harvey House girls" also reflected the significance of the site. Operating until the depression, this restaurant provided the ultimate in passenger service for travelers utilizing the east-west or north-south trains on the Frisco system. But not all passengers were served in the Harvey House: at the north end of the depot was a segregated waiting room for blacks.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.