Fort Reno — Attraction in El Reno

This is a national treasure that few will bother to explore. Located west of El Reno, Oklahoma on a section of historic US Route 66, with a history dating to the Indian Wars of the 1870's and more recently supporting military services around the world by providing trained horses and mules. This site served as a WWII prisoner of war camp too. Fort Reno has several original buildings and the historic cemetery where early soldiers, staff, dependents and some of the agency mission staff are laid to rest. An adjacent section was added for the POWs that passed while in custody. One of the horses raised and trained here, "Black Jack," was featured as the riderless horse in over 1000 funerals at Arlington national cemetery, including significant state funerals. These include Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Herbert Hoover, and General Douglas MacArthur.

Much of the original post lands were granted to US department of agriculture, and it is used for research for cattle grazing and prairie ecology.

The smaller post parade grounds and buildings that house the museum and exhibits are reasonably well preserved, and the musem staff are quite knowledgeable and helpful. Much of their operating budget is donations from visitors and local preservation groups. If you visit, please be generous and help preserve this treasure not just for local history, but as a legacy...

If you visit, make sure you talk to Deb. She's the sweetest and very knowledgeable. If you like history, make sure you plan on going to see the Christmas guns and their wreath placing ceremony. It was fantastic to watch a real old canon being fired as well as the pistols that were fired in between. While the museum itself is very small, it was a fascinating visit. I definitely suggest going if you have an inkling for history. While it is "kid-friendly", my 9 year old child was most amused with running around in circles outside with his friend. Again, worth the drive and conversation with Deb, a historian extraordinaire, was the...

Ft Reno is a beautifully maintained historic site. Be sure to see the cemetery, including the POW part, and ask about the soldiers who dressed up as women to rob an old Chinese employee of his life savings; history isn’t always pretty. I used to volunteer there and it’s a great place. As former President of Preservation El Reno, we donated a furnished changing room for brides in the chapel. They used to have to change in the RR at the Visitor’s Center down the block and then go get married in the chapel. We wanted to make it more convenient. Ross Seed...