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.[2]

Red Cross Canteen
Red Cross Canteen is located in Oklahoma
Red Cross Canteen
Red Cross Canteen is located in the United States
Red Cross Canteen
LocationGrand Ave. and London St.
El Reno, Oklahoma
Coordinates35°31′51″N 97°57′31″W / 35.53083°N 97.95861°W / 35.53083; -97.95861
Arealess than one acre
Built1918
NRHP reference No.75001560[1][2]
Added to NRHPSeptember 5, 1975

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]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Oklahoma Historical Society State Historic Preservation Office".