Category:Fort Smith (AR)
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Fort Smith (1817-1834)(1838-1871) - built to keep the peace between the Osage and the Cherokee.
First Fort Smith
The first fort was a simple log and stone stockade with two blockhouses established on 25 Dec 1817 by Maj William Bradford and Company A, Rifle Regiment. It was also known as Belle Point Fort and the ruins still exist. The troops were moved to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in 1824. The fort was then intermittently used until 1834, with the last garrison transferring to Fort Coffee, Oklahoma. The site was excavated in 1958 - 1963.
Second Fort Smith
The second fort, originally planned as a large pentagonal masonry work with five bastions, was built in 1839 due to settler demands over the Indian Removals from the southeast. Camp Thomas, later renamed Camp Belknap (1838 - 1846), was built adjacent to the first fort site while the second fort was being constructed. Construction was halted in 1841, and the fort was then modified as a supply depot for other western forts. Seized by Confederates in 1861, captured by the Union in 1863. Abandoned in 1871.
Federal Court
The Barracks (1849) then served as the US District Court from 1872 - 1890, then served as a federal prison from 1890 to 1917. Admission fee.
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