Fort Reno (3)

 (1874-1949) - A U.S. Army post established in 1874 as the Camp near Cheyenne Agency by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Neil, 6th U.S. Cavalry, in Canadian County, Oklahoma. Named for Major General Jesse L. Reno, killed in the battle of South Mountain, South Carolina, during the U.S. Civil War. Abandoned as a military post in 1908, it became a U.S. Army remount station. In 1938 it was designated Reno Quartermaster Depot and in 1949 it became the Fort Reno Livestock Research Station.

History
A U.S. Army post first established in July 1874 as the Camp near Cheyenne Agency by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Neil in Canadian County, Oklahoma. Fort Reno was designated a permanent post in 1876 and construction began on the permanent post that same year. The post was built as an open-plan western fort with a central parade surrounded by an officer's row on the east side, the quartermaster complex on the west side and enlisted barracks on the north and south side. The north side also contained the adjutant's office, the guardhouse, and the original hospital.

Fort Reno and the Darlington Indian Agency served the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian tribes in the transition from reservation life to individual ranches and farms. Fort Reno supervised the first Indian Territory land run on 22 Apr 1889 that allocated the unassigned lands for settlement. In 1890 Oklahoma became a territory and on 16 Nov 1907 statehood was granted. Fort Reno was abandoned as a military post 24 Feb 1908 shortly after statehood was granted and became a U.S. Army remount station. In 1938 the former fort was designated Reno Quartermaster Depot.

In 1949 the post became the Fort Reno Livestock Research Station and today it functions as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grazinglands Research Laboratory.

Current Status
Now part of U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grazinglands Research Laboratory, Canadian County, Oklahoma. The Fort Reno Visitor Center Museum is operated by a non-profit organization, Historic Fort Reno, Inc. The Visitor Center and Museum occupies a former set of officer's quarters and operates as a guest of the U.S, Department of Agriculture.

Sources:
 * , page 656
 * , page 125-126

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Reno (3)
 * Wikipedia - Fort Reno
 * Legends of America - Fort Reno
 * Official Site
 * Fort Reno Marker
 * Fort Reno