Archived Feature:
Fort Reno, Oklahoma
Near the city of El Reno, in central Oklahoma, stand the remains of Fort Reno, an army post which was established in 1875. Its original role was in quelling tribal uprisings in this part of the country during the years it was designated Indian Territory. Later, Fort Reno served as one of the US Army's principal remount depots, where enornous numbers of horses were bred to fill the military's insatiable need in the years prior to mechanization. In fact, horses continued to be raised here well into the modern era—it was here that Black Jack, the riderless horse in President Kennedy's funeral procession, was born and raised.
Fort Reno also served as a Prisoner-of-War camp during World War II. There is a cemetery just west of the post where a number of German and Italian prisoners were laid to rest. The photograph below is of the commissary, one of many buildings which still stand in mute testimony to the activities which once took place here.
The ruins of Fort Reno are under the care of the Historic Fort Reno Foundation. The fort's remains are just west of El Reno, Oklahoma, near I-40 and old Route 66.
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