El Reno was originally called Reno City and was 5 miles north of today's center until it was rebuilt here after several floods. El Reno was formerly home to a large workshop for the Rock Island railroad, which first connected Chicago to the Mississippi and continued to expand west. A streetcar also ran from the station to downtown, the last surviving in Oklahoma, and it still runs several times a week for tourists.
Monument to the Rock Island Railroad in El Reno
From 1940 to 1964, Rock Island operated the Choctaw Rocket, a passenger train from Memphis to Little Rock and Oklahoma City to Amarillo, stopping in El Reno, as well as a repair shop for their trains in El Reno.
Murals in El Reno
The city's history is depicted on many facades, e.g. on Woodson St between Rock Island and Barker or on the Roserock Bank building on Woodson St and Bickford Ave.