As I take my slow ride back to Nashville, I stopped in Fort Smith Arkansas for a couple of days. Got a nice spot on the Arkansas River. Anyway, this is not about the actual city, but the fort that the city is named for. The first Fort Smith was built on the Arkansas river in 1817 to keep the peace between Indian tribes. A new fort was built next to the old fort in 1838 and the military permanently closed the fort in 1871. The fort and its buildings were then used as the Federal Court for the west until 1896. So for almost 70 years the fort was active, so it was natural that a town established itself around the fort. Today the old fort is actually downtown on the Arkansas river.
The fort was involved with the trail of tears and pushing the Indians west into what is today Oklahoma. Not only the Indians were in these western territories, but outlaws hide out there too. Thats the primary reason for the establishment of the federal court in the fort. Judge Parker who later became known as the hanging judge sentenced 160 people to the gallows. The gallows are not original, but re-constructed based on pictures from the time. The judge had his own team of marshals that would pursue the criminals in Indian territory. The Clint Eastwood movie ‘Hang em High’ was loosely based on the judge and his marshals. Actually the jail scene is pretty accurate of the one room that they put all the accused in. The courthouse and commissary are the only remaining buildings.
