History of El Reno Cemetery

Canadian County, Oklahoma

© 2003-06 Carolyn Barker

The El Reno Cemetery occupies a beautiful site on the southeast side of town. The east part of El Reno was established in the April 1889 land run, while the western part was located in the 1892 land run.

The first person laid to rest at the El Reno Cemetery was Arthur Tusten, a 17-year-old young man that died of typhoid fever complicated with other diseases on October 27, 1889. This was only 5 months after this land was opened for settlement.

There was no railroad in El Reno then and no undertaking supplies. A coffin was purchased at Darlington Indian Agency, which was located north of El Reno. The casket was lined and trimmed by a local merchant. An Episcopal minister from Fort Reno conducted the services.

There was considerable discussion as to where the remains should be buried. The citizens of El Reno conferred with the Fort Reno officers and it was finally decided that the east side of the school section south of town should be appropriated for a burying ground.

Coyotes at that time infested the prairies in droves and the relatives of the deceased feared that the body might be dug up by them, and as a precaution brush and timbers were piled upon the grave to protect it from their ravages.

The second interment was the seven-year-old daughter of Perry and Priscilla Martin, who was buried on December 26, 1889.

The third person buried here was Frank Brady. The approximately 40-year-old man met a violent end and was killed by a mob. Three men stood trial, but there was no conviction.

The first vault was erected in the cemetery for the infant child of Robert and Ethel Williams. Suewillee was 7 months and 7 days old when she died on June 24, 1899.

This school land was leased from year to year to individuals, who in turn released it to the Cemetery Association. This arrangement was not satisfactory to the people, as they had no title to the lots in which their dead were buried.

The first step taken toward securing title to the land was in the winter of 1897 when the El Reno City Council sent a man to Washington, D C to secure congressional action setting aside a part of all the school section for cemetery purposes. But nothing was accomplished.

On September 25, 1899 the city council appointed a committee of five men to call upon the school land commission at Guthrie, OK and secure, if possible, a recommendation from them to the United States Congress to set aside the tract of land which had been appropriated by the citizens of El Reno as a burying ground, for a public cemetery for the city, and to request the school land commission to withhold from leasing the East half of the school section until congressional action could be obtained. The committee was successful.

A special bill was secured on April 9, 1900 setting aside the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 16, Township 12, Range 7 in Canadian County, OK for cemetery purposes. The bill provided that the city would receive a patent to the land upon the payment of $1.25 per acre. The amount was paid by the city and the patent was signed on February 1, 1901, passing irrevocable title to the City of El Reno of the 80 acres for cemetery purposes. So 11 years after the first burial was made, the City of El Reno had clear title to the cemetery.

After the cemetery became city property the ground was platted and a system of walks and driveways were formed. A ten-acre tract was laid off north of the old cemetery and designated the “new cemetery. A large circle was formed with the roads forming the spokes of a wheel. The entrance was made on the north side.

A tract was also laid off south of the old cemetery for a Catholic burial ground. A colored graveyard and potters field were established.

In November 1905 the Grand Army Post and Relief Corps completed the monument erected to the memory of the unknown soldiers and sailors in the cemetery.

The El Reno extended its city water service to the cemetery. This was completed June 23, 1913. A newspaper article reported “there would be plenty of water for the trees and flowers in the city of the dead.

Many improvements have been made over the years. This beautiful cemetery has over 16,000 known burials at this time. There are many others that have no records and are unknown and unmarked.