1874Military
In 1874, the United States established a fort to supervise the area and General Philip Sheridan took command.
1889Military
The city was begun shortly after the 1889 land rush and named for the nearby Fort Reno.
1890Government
In 1890, Foreman's 120 acres along with 80 acres of Thomas Jensen's, were incorporated into the Village of El Reno.
1892Architecture
The western side was opened in 1892, when the federal government also made some Cheyenne and Arapaho lands available for settlement by non-Native Americans.
1901Government
The town was subsequently selected as the land district office for the 1901 land lottery drawings.
1912Sports
== Notable people ==
Harlond Clift (1912–1992), Major League Baseball infielder
Suzan Shown Harjo (1945-), advocate for American Indian rights
Solomon Andrew Layton (1864–1943),...
1932Architecture
In 1932, the United States Southwestern Reformatory was constructed about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of El Reno.
1947History
Such service had not been available since 1947, and it was the only operating trolley line in the state that year.
1948Military
In 1948 the fort was transferred to the U.S.
1954History
The 1954 film noir Human Desire includes locomotive and yard scenes filmed in the El Reno rail yards.
1971Education
Redlands Community College opened in 1971.
1979Infrastructure
Due to changes taking place throughout the railroad industry, the CRI&P went bankrupt in 1979.
1980History
It abandoned the depot and railyards in 1980.
1988Culture
Since 1988 El Reno holds an annual Fried Onion Burger Day Festival in downtown the first Saturday in May.
2001Infrastructure
In 2001, El Reno was the first city in Oklahoma to re-establish streetcar service in the downtown area: the Heritage Express Trolley.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, 16,749 people, 5,727 households, and 3,842 families resided in the city.
2011Disaster
On May 24, 2011, the violent and long-tracking 2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado, an EF5 tornado, struck parts of northwestern El Reno.
2013Disaster
Two years later, on May 31, 2013, rural areas near El Reno were hit by a record-breaking multiple-vortex tornado.
2015Crime
In 2015 President Barack Obama visited the prison, the first time a sitting president has visited any federal prison.
2019Disaster
An EF3 tornado struck southern parts of El Reno on May 25, 2019.
2021Infrastructure
Stillwater (2021), with Matt Damon
13 Minutes (2021), a disaster film
Twisters (2024), a disaster film
For many years the filmmaker George Kuchar would drive to El Reno to docum...