Fort Smith and Sebastian County

From its establishment as a settlement known as

La Belle Pointe in 1817, to the founding of the town

of Fort Smith by John Rogers in 1839, to its present-day

life as a thriving community full of civic energy, the

area at the junction of the Poteau and Arkansas Rivers

has a long and colorful history.

In Fort Smith and Sebastian County, you are invited to

take a visual tour of the area as it was in the early days,

when the town of Fort Smith was located near the heart

of the Outlaw Territory. Learn about the impact that

outlaws such as Belle Starr, Cherokee Bill and the Rufus

Buck Gang, and Smoker Mankiller had on the area,

and discover why, on the floor of Congress, Judge Isaac

Parker's courthouse was described as a "slaughterhouse."

Also included in this collection are early snapshots

of local landmarks including the Goldman Hotel, the

Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, and the Union Station

Train Depot, as well as rare images of Sebastian County

residents at work and at play.