Fort Reno

Fort Reno was established -- on the south bank of the North Canadian River in what is almost the center of present-day Oklahoma -- on July 17, 1874. Construction of facilities began in 1875. It remained a military post until 1949 (though after 1908 it served as one of the army's two principal remount depots). Since 1949, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has operated the facility as an experiment station.

Although unrest among the Indians in this area, principally the Cheyennes, prompted its creation, the fort itself never experienced any serious "Indian trouble." Instead, with Darlington, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency across the river to the north, it served primarily as a stabilizing influence on the troubled frontier. Together the two institutions played an important role both in preserving the peace and in directing the orderly transition of this part of Indian Territory from reservation to individual farms and ranches. Fort Reno provided the troops that supervised the first great Run of 1889 opening old Oklahoma to settlement.

Most dramatic single event in which the post played a role was the heroic dash to freedom of nearly 300 Northern Cheyennes in 1878. They were among over 900 Cheyennes rounded up the previous year, following the Ouster Massacre in Montana, and forcibly resettled here among their southern tribesmen. Bitter in defeat, unhappy with the climate and the shortage of food, they broke for "home" in September, 1878. Brilliantly led by Dull Knife and Little Wolf, they managed to elude much of the U. S. Army on their 1,200-nile trek. (Though eventually recaptured, they were allowed to remain in the north.)

As an interesting side bar, Fort Reno claims the distinction of having western Oklahoma's first telephone line ...a crude communication link with near by Darlington Agency. Unimportant? Who knows? Perhaps this frontier "hot line" -- keeping the fort's commanding officer and the Indian agent at Darlington in touch with one another -- played its role in maintaining peace and tranquility along with the rifle and the beef ration.