The history of Boley: Oklahoma’s first All-Black town

Boley, Okla. (KSWO) -In Oklahoma, the first community to become an All-Black town is Boley.

The town is located halfway between Paden and Castle in Okfuskee County, and it’s regarded as the largest and most well-known of the more than 50 All-Black towns of Oklahoma. It’s also 1 of only 13 to still exist.

Boley was founded in 1903 and is named after rail master J.B. Boley of the Fort Smith and Western Railway. Boley and African Americans in the area prospered for many years. By 1907, 824 people moved to the town all thanks to promotions and good news that came from their newspaper, “The Boley Progress.”

Today, around 1,000 people call Boley Home, and the town leads the nation in having the oldest African American community-based rodeo that’s held every Memorial Day weekend.

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