Fort Reno Historic Site

Fort Reno near El Reno began in the 1870s as a military post associated with federal control of the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation. Over time, its role changed from frontier garrison to remount station and later to a World War II prisoner-of-war camp. The surviving grounds contain officer quarters, a chapel, cemetery and other historic structures that represent different periods of the site's long use. Fort Reno is also connected with Buffalo Soldiers and with the military's role during the transition from reservation-era Indian Territory to the land-run period. During World War II, German prisoners were held at the site, and some who died in captivity are buried in the post cemetery. That later history adds an unexpected international dimension to a place usually associated with the nineteenth-century West. The fort hosts tours and special events, including well-known spirit tours, but the documented history is substantial enough to stand on its own. Its open prairie setting helps preserve the sense of isolation that defined the post when it was first established.