The First Street Names in El Reno
Attributing research and compilation too: Carolyn Marquardt Barker (1939 – 2018)
In June 1889 George Lambe was hired by the townsite company to plow the streets. He got a wagon load of cedar posts and made the stakes that the surveyors used to plat out the new town.
The 1892 plat map’s boundaries were as follows: Grand Street on the west, Foreman Street on the north, Foster on the east and Cavanaugh Street on the south. In the southwest corner a few blocks extended to Elm Street.
Many of the original streets were named in honor of the Fort Reno officers, whom the town promoters had interested in the new town.
The streets so named were:
CARSON for Lieutenant Carson of the Fifth Cavalry.
FOSTER for Quartermaster Foster of the Fifth Cavalry.
HAYES for Captain “Black Jack” Hayes of the C Troop, Fifth Cavalry.
HOFF for Dr. Hoff, a Major of the Fifth Cavalry.
JENKINS for Lieutenant Jenkins of K Troop, the Fifth Cavalry.
LONDON for Lieutenant London of the Fifth Cavalry.
MACOMB for Lieutenant Macomb of B Troop, Fifth Cavalry.
RUSSELL for Major Russell of the Fifth Cavalry.
WADE for Col. J. F. Wade, commanding officer of the Fifth Cavalry and commander of Fort Reno.
WATTS for Captain Watts of F Troop, Fifth Cavalry.
The following is a list of the streets named after civilians:
ADMIRE for Captain J. L. Admire, receiver of the Kingfisher Land Office.
BARKER for W. D. Barker, Indian teacher at Darlington.
BICKFORD for H. L. and C. B. Bickford, who were in the freight business with headquarters at Darlington.
EVANS for Neal W. Evans, post trader at Fort Reno and later moved to El Reno.
FOREMAN for Major John A. Foreman, on whose claim the original townsite of El Reno was located.
ROGERS for Dr. C. S. Rogers, whom the townsite organizers selected as the first mayor.
WILLIAMS for W. G. “Caddo Bill” Williams who owned a ranch west of Minco before the opening and later ran a wholesale grocery in El Reno. Choctaw was considered the “Main Street” in the early days, as most of the businesses were located on it.