Tribal land dispute nears end
Tribes: Cheyenne-Arapaho officials say the Fort Reno property belongs to them
Federal judge expected this year to settle case in which U.S. military says it is legal owner o

•1869: A presidential order created a 5-million-acre Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation in western Oklahoma.

•1883: Another presidential order withdrew 9,000 acres to be used for "military purposes exclusively,” leading to Fort Sill's creation.

•1890: The tribes agreed to cede lands comprising the 1869 reservation except for what was allotted to individual tribal members.

•1908: The cavalry abandoned Fort Sill, which continued to be used as a "remount station” to raise and train horses and mules for the military.

•1948: The War Department transferred jurisdiction to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a research station, which still operates.

Source: Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma vs. United States of America, Civil Action No. 06-519