“History of Fort Supply” presentation by Bob Rea

Historian Bob Rea will give a presentation about the history of Fort Supply and its role in the development of northwest Oklahoma at the Sod House Museum on Saturday, February 16, at 10 a.m. Rea will cover the time period from 1868 to 1894, when Fort Supply was involved in two major Indian Wars campaigns, kept the peace in the Cherokee Outlet, and policed the opening of the area to white settlement.

Bob Rea obtained a bachelor’s degree in history and art from Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma) in Edmond, and worked part time at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (now the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum) while he was an undergraduate. He earned his master’s degree in education from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 2004. Rea served as the historical facility manager for Fort Supply Historic Site for the OHS from December 1991 until his retirement in 2014. During that time, he also became the supervisor of several other OHS historic sites.

During Rea’s tenure with the OHS, he participated in numerous archaeology projects emphasizing historic and battlefield archaeology. He has written articles for scholarly publications such as The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Panhandle-Plains Historical Review, and The Journal of the Indian Wars. He also had five articles included in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture relating to military history in Indian Territory.

The Sod House Museum is located southeast of Aline on State Highway 8. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information please contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.