Recently I saw Congressman Frank Lucas in an interview with Oklahoma City television station KWTV. The topic was Fort Reno.

Long before Lucas was elected to Congress in the early 1990s, the Cheyenne and Arapaho people argued Fort Reno rightfully belongs to them. 

Consider this quote from Old Crow, a Cheyenne leader as recorded in government transcripts in the 1890s and reported by Politico in 2014. “We look upon this land as a home and as our mother, and we don’t expect to sell it.” 

So, long before it was known that billion-dollar oil deposits rest beneath Fort Reno, the C&A had a strong connection to the land. 

Like other elected officials before him, Lucas disagreed with that thinking, although some, including the late Gov. Henry Bellmon, reportedly did side with the C&A. Not to mention, twice the U.S. House of Representatives voted to return the land to the C&A. 

Congressman Lucas, and apparently the rest of today’s Oklahoma delegation, stands by the claim that the C&A have been paid twice for the Fort Reno property. 

Years ago I also believed that claim. I no longer hold that belief. 

To paraphrase the “Dude” from the movie, The Big Lebowski: New information has come to light, man.

It's true, the federal government paid the Cheyenne and Arapaho people twice for land, but not for Fort Reno. The feds paid for the reservation the C&A were placed on in the 1880s. More than 5 million acres. This transaction netted the C&A 33 cents per acre. Later, in 1965, this same federal government kicked in another $3 per acre after people complained about how badly the government had treated the Indians. So, for more than 5 million acres, the C&A were paid about $15 million, a little more than $3 per acre. For their reservation. But not for Fort Reno. 

In 1892, a Land Run was held that opened up the lands where the C&A had originally been placed. But before that happened, the feds, in 1883, cut out about 10,000 acres of the C&A reservation for use by the United States military. This became Fort Reno, as well as what is now the Federal Correctional Institution. 

The deal, according to records, included language that said the Fort Reno property would be returned to the C&A when the land was no longer used by the military. 

That didn’t happen. 

Prior to the Land Run, members of the Tribes ceded all their rights to the reservation subject to their own individual allotments AND subject to the conditions imposed by the federal government, which prohibited them from selecting their allotments on military lands like Fort Reno. This arrangement effectively excluded Fort Reno from the land deal while providing no compensation.

Many decades later, the Indian Claims Commission (ICC) was given jurisdiction to settle all claims prior to Aug. 13, 1946. That's a key date: Aug. 13, 1946, because in 1965, the ICC settled all claims to the 5.4 million-acre C&A reservation. This did not explicitly include Fort Reno lands because it was still military until 1948, which means the ICC had no jurisdiction over it. 

I’m not a land title attorney, but one would think dates are critically important in land dealings. 

This is the argument, actually the facts, the C&A base their claim on. Their position seems valid and reasonable to me. 

So, unless Congressman Lucas and others who agree with him provide information that supports their position, it seems clear, the Cheyenne and Arapaho are the rightful owners of Fort Reno. 

In the television interview, Congressman Lucas said he was elected to represent all Oklahomans. Very true. He said he believes the current research operation at Fort Reno is in the best interest of all Oklahomans. 

I respectfully disagree. I think the research being done at Fort Reno is similar to research being done at numerous places, whether by the federal government, state universities or private foundations, such as Noble in Ardmore. 

Congressman Lucas says the land at Fort Reno is “pristine” and has never been tilled and for that reason it’s important. He said there’s not much land like this in western Oklahoma. Which begs the question, if there’s not much of it, why are we investing millions of taxpayer dollars over the many decades to study it? And if it’s so critical that the soil there has never been turned, why did Rep. Lucas and then U.S. Sen. Don Nickles work to create a national cemetery at Fort Reno in the 1990s? And in 2006, when the late Sen. Jim Inhofe proposed drilling oil wells at Fort Reno, did any of the Oklahoma delegation oppose the plan?

Seems to me some are trying to have it both ways. 

Research is vital, but the duplication of research using taxpayer money is wasteful and goofy. 

Some folks have told me they are afraid if the land is returned to the C&A, a massive casino will be built there. That’s possible, but not likely. 

The C&A already own land, in trust, at I-40 and Country Club. Infrastructure necessary for a large commercial development pretty much already exits there. Also, the state plans to greatly improve the I-40 overpass on Country Club. Developing that property for a casino would seem to make more sense. 

If Fort Reno is returned to the C&A, Gov. Reggie Wassana has offered to let the USDA research continue there. He’s also talked about the need to restore the historic structures at the fort. Something not included in plans proposed by our federal government. He’s also talked about using the resources Fort Reno could provide to help create jobs. In my opinion, jobs would go much further than federal research in feeding Oklahoma families, helping to pay their bills and ensuring a better quality of life. Jobs create hope, hope for a better day. Hope for a brighter future. 

If the C&A had their land returned, in my mind, all Oklahomans would be better served, better represented. 

Personally, I’d like to see the C&A fund and develop President Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes at Fort Reno. It’s said to be a $34 million project Trump has proposed to pay tribute to America’s heroes. The C&A could use the vast Fort Reno minerals to develop the project and add more Native Americans to the roster of heroes they believe deserve to be recognized. 

A project such as this would attract many visitors and create jobs and economic opportunity in a respectful and dignified way at Fort Reno. I think after more than 100 years of federal government games-playing, that would be a refreshing end to this matter. As well as opening the door to an incredible future.