Help! They are Destroying Buildings at Ft. Reno, Oklahoma Territory

[Yellowhouse Sam]

Please notify your congressman....this shouldn't be happening!   https://www.news9.com/story/5f3f00e5b935800ba24b9035/usda-to-demolish-14-buildings-at-historic-ft-reno?fbclid=IwAR2B2Ieth-eJ1Mx5dfN_o51dfENvdtaiiW41wZYYlF_kX44pgBFrCBQ6Wb8

[1961MJS]

Hi
When I stopped by the Cavalry competition, about half the buildings were trashed then (2016 or 17).  They were trying to get funds to work on some of them.  The fort was really the only reason anybody went there anyway. 
Later

[S. Quentin Quale, Esq.]

Good morning.

Thank you for the "heads up" on this.

I'm on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Cavalry Association.  This is the first I've heard of this.  I have written to our Chairman, President, and the rest of the Board informing them of this issue.  No response yet.

As with MANY other Federal properties the Fort has been allowed to deteriorate for decades.  This is also true for a significant portion of the Park Service.  For a number of years I was part of an equine group that provided support to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  When they threatened to close ALL the equine trails (due to cost) our group provided justification for the spending and several thousand man-hours of labor to do the "small stuff" of trail maintenance (light brush clearing, marker maintenance, trash clean up, etc.).  We could not do the work that required machinery (and there was a lot of it) but we were able to keep the closures to an acceptable minimum.

Once we get a better insight into how our Association is going to address this issue I will be taking what steps I can to alter the decision.  Of course, the reason for the decision is the lack of building maintenance.  This opens an entirely new question and the answer to that question is "money."  It's not going to come in the Federal budget so supporters of the Fort, National Parks, and other Federal recreational facilities are going to have to "step up to the plate" financially.  There still is no "free lunch."

Stay tuned.

SQQ

[ira scott]

Sadly, I believe it has become fairly obvious that a certain portion of today's society is more intent on destroying history and unwilling to spend the money to  preserve it.

Mike

[Major 2]

To add insult to injury  10 years ago next Month
Ft. Washita Durant, Ok. was set ablaze by 3  18 year old's accused of Arson .

The barracks was total loss, I had done Living history and slept in that building.

The loss was estimated @  2 Million 

[River City John]

Sadly, I believe it has become fairly obvious that a certain portion of today's society is more intent on destroying history and unwilling to spend the money to  preserve it.

Mike

At one time, BNS, I had looked into donating to Ft. Hartsuff to preserve it, as a group activity since GAF had a personal history using the site.
It may be because of the route I had chosen, but the information I received from Nebraska Parks was they take donations but allocate towards sites that receive the lion's share of visitors, i.e. usage. Ft. Hartsuff was pretty low on that list.

I believe the General suggested the Friends of Ft. Hartsuff Historical Society as a more direct path to guarantee it went where needed, but not sure if that info is accurate still. (?)

RCJ

[1961MJS]

Good morning.

Thank you for the "heads up" on this.
...

Once we get a better insight into how our Association is going to address this issue I will be taking what steps I can to alter the decision.  Of course, the reason for the decision is the lack of building maintenance.  This opens an entirely new question and the answer to that question is "money."  It's not going to come in the Federal budget so supporters of the Fort, National Parks, and other Federal recreational facilities are going to have to "step up to the plate" financially.  There still is no "free lunch."

Stay tuned.

SQQ

Hi Quentin, I missed seeing you the year I went to watch the competition.

I worry that this will end up like the school systems.  When I graduated in 1979, the state payed for most things, now parents are required to send Kleenex and sometimes construction paper etc, the list gets longer and the tax bill gets bigger.

Later

[River City John]

Hi Quentin, I missed seeing you the year I went to watch the competition.

I worry that this will end up like the school systems.  When I graduated in 1979, the state payed for most things, now parents are required to send Kleenex and sometimes construction paper etc, the list gets longer and the tax bill gets bigger.

Later

My wife is a retired teacher and sadly, when you say state paid for everything, often times it came out of teacher's pockets for quite a bit if they wanted it for their classrooms. Particularly resources for the classrooms of Resource or Special Education teachers.

RCJ

[S. Quentin Quale, Esq.]

Hi Quentin, I missed seeing you the year I went to watch the competition.

I worry that this will end up like the school systems.  When I graduated in 1979, the state payed for most things, now parents are required to send Kleenex and sometimes construction paper etc, the list gets longer and the tax bill gets bigger.

Later

All of us are "bummed out" over the cancellation but, at the end of the day, that was likely a wise decision.  In any event USDA said "no" and that was that.  I don't think they were arbitrary or in any way "at fault."  They were just following orders.

As to the news report, I have no specific information.  But the report, itself, it's pretty conclusory and no Federal officials were directly quoted.  It's a "he said-she said" piece.  That doesn't make it faux news but neither does it come from "the horse's mouth."  So now that it's the work week perhaps some definitive information can be obtained.

G.

[1961MJS]

My wife is a retired teacher and sadly, when you say state paid for everything, often times it came out of teacher's pockets for quite a bit if they wanted it for their classrooms. Particularly resources for the classrooms of Resource or Special Education teachers.

RCJ

Hi John

The time period I'm talking about ended in 1979, and Mom was a 4th grade teacher and didn't have to pay for anything that I was aware of.  Dad was a high school math teacher and only used paper for tests and chalk.  A friend asked if i wanted any of the slate chalk boards in his class room when they took them out, but they all broke after 40 years.

Later