Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in El Reno (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Fort Reno, Red Cross Canteen, and Rock Island Depot. Also, be sure to include Avant's Cities Service Station in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in El Reno (Oklahoma).
Table of Contents
Fort Reno
Non-profit organization in El Reno, Oklahoma. Fort Reno is a former United States Army cavalry post west of El Reno, Oklahoma. It is named for General Jesse L. Reno, who died at the Battle of South Mountain in the American Civil War.[1]
Address: 7107 W Cheyenne St, 73036-2153 El Reno
Red Cross Canteen
The Red Cross Canteen in El Reno, Oklahoma is a small wooden structure located east of the Rock Island Depot. Built by volunteer labor with telegraph poles donated by the Rock Island Railroad, the facility opened on August 1, 1918 just south of the railroad station as an American Red Cross commissary to serve troop trains that stopped in El Reno during World War I.
After the end of the war, the building was moved to Legion Park, where it served as a Boy Scout cabin for many years. After falling into disrepair during the 1960s, the building was moved back near its original location and restored as a Bicentennial project in 1975. It currently contains exhibits and memorabilia from the World War I era as well as historical information about the county's Red Cross chapter.[2]
Rock Island Depot
The Rock Island Depot is a one-story brick structure in El Reno, Oklahoma. Built in 1907 on the railroad tracks that ran along the western boundary of the Unassigned Lands that led to El Reno's settlement in 1889, it served as a passenger and freight terminal for the junction of the east–west and north–south lines of the Rock Island Railroad.
The one-story building is notable for its length, 176 feet (54 m), but otherwise maintains the standard depot design. The architecture is Mission/Spanish Colonial Style. The roof is red tile and the exterior is red brick. Windows are double-hung and have white stone sills. Embellishments include stone keystones above the windows. Brick walls in front of the depot and on the platforms were originally installed.
The depot was a working railroad station until the early 1970s. The Canadian County Historical Society then took ownership of the building, which now houses the Canadian County Historical Museum.[3]
Avant's Cities Service Station
Avant's Cities Service Station is a historic service station located at 220 S. Choctaw in El Reno, Oklahoma. The Art Deco building was constructed in 1933 as a service station for Cities Service Company to fuel automobiles traveling on U.S. Route 66. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.[4]
Canadian County Jail and Stable
Prison in El Reno, Oklahoma. The Canadian County Jail and Stable comprises two buildings constructed at different times. The jail is a building located at 300 South Evans in El Reno, Oklahoma. It is the abandoned site of the county jail of Canadian County, and sits west of the current county jail on the same block.
The stable, located at 301 N. Choctaw was listed in 1995. The stable was built sometime between 1908 and 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1985.
The jail and stable are the oldest remaining county government structures in Canadian County.[5]
Jackson Conoco Service Station
The Jackson Conoco Service Station is a one-story brick structure located in El Reno, Oklahoma. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, it was constructed by the Continental Oil Company in 1934 as a service station to serve the increasing automobile traffic along Route 66. Conoco built and operated many such facilities in the 1930s, all identical except for the positioning of the service bay; one other example is listed on the NRHP in Oklahoma, the Spraker Service Station in Vinita.
In 1964 the property was sold to A.M. Cavin and his wife, who leased it back to Conoco and continued to operate it as a gas station. The Cavins also took out a mortgage from Conoco to construct service bays on the south side of the building. By 1969 it was known as Paul's Conoco. The property changed hands several times in the ensuing years and stopped operating as a gas station in 1990.[6]
Carnegie Library
The Carnegie Library in El Reno, Oklahoma is the oldest Carnegie library in Oklahoma that is still functioning as a library. Constructed in 1903, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and has been in continuous use as a library since its opening.
The main feature of the Classical Revival structure is its two-story portico with four ionic columns. The only structural addition to the library since its construction was a fireproof archives room built in 1964.[7]
El Reno Hotel
Building. The El Reno Hotel is a two-story, wood-frame, Folk Victorian structure in El Reno, Oklahoma. It is the oldest surviving commercial building in the city.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it was built in 1892 at 300 South Choctaw, in the city's business district, by John Kossuth. It was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Foster in 1901 and operated as a hotel until 1975, when it closed and fell into disrepair.
In 1984, the building was donated to the Canadian County Historic Society and was moved to its present location near the Rock Island Depot.[8]
William I. and Magdalen M. Goff House
The William I. and Magdalen M. Goff House, also known as the Goff House, is a residential structure in El Reno, Oklahoma. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, it was built in 1901 and is a landmark in the city of El Reno. It has undergone very few exterior changes since its construction before statehood.
The two-story, Colonial Revival-style house has a circular tower and wraparound porch characteristic of Queen Anne style architecture.[9]
Henry Lassen House
Heritage building in El Reno, Oklahoma. The Henry Lassen House is a historic house located at 605 South Hoff in El Reno, Oklahoma.[10]
El Reno Municipal Swimming Pool Bath House
Museum in El Reno, Oklahoma. The El Reno Municipal Swimming Pool Bath House is a bath house in El Reno, Oklahoma. Built in 1935, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It is one of two Mission/Spanish Revival structures in El Reno.
The bath house was built as part of the swimming pool complex for the city by Federal Emergency Relief Administration workers along with city employees. The pool complex closed in 1991 and the pool itself was filled with dirt, but the original brick bath house remains. As one of the last Depression-era bath houses still standing in Oklahoma, it is listed on the 2015 List of Oklahoma's Most Endangered Places.[11]