Historical Marker Program

Riverside School

Caddo County
Location: on US 281 near entrance to Riverside School, north of Anadarko
Coordinates: 35.096102, -98.244276
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Topics: American Indians; Education; Territorial Period, 1861–1907

Established by Alfred J. Standing on September 23, 1871, east of Fort Cobb on the Washita River, the Riverside Indian School became a highly successful boarding school for Wichita and Caddo children. Fire destroyed the original building in 1878, but the school was rebuilt nearby. It is one of the oldest federally operated Indian schools in continuous operation in the nation.