A Special Place: The Fort Smith Story

[@bchristian85]

Fort Smith was better in the '80s when this video was made. The closure of many of the manufacturing plants hit the town hard. Today, leaving town when you turn 18 or when you graduate from UAFS is a rite of passage.

[@Resolute070]

My great-grandfather was a juror for Judge Parker. I enjoyed growing up in Fort Smith.

[@cixzzz2263]

Judge Parker is my ancestor!

[@bonniewarren5518]

@@stm5578 I do too

[@kaylasmith6179]

Really

[@Resolute070]

@@kaylasmith6179 Yes. I have the jury summons tucked away. May donate it to museum some day.

[@Laurastars72]

My great great great grandparents owned the first drugstore in Fort Smith Arkansas. His family are buried in the towns cemetery from the early 1800s. My father and I decided to take a road trip and look at their headstones through my grandmother who did our genealogy she directed us from Fort Smith to Missouri, so proud of my heritage.

[@douglasdixon524]

In late May 1988 alot of the kids from Fort Smith Southside High School including myself and my date Sundi, had dinner at Miss Laura's. It was really beautiful in there. This had to of been filmed close to that time. 12:15, That old pharmacy with soda fountain is really nice to visit.

[@lordnerdyguy]

Bradley Martin, the son who owns the Trolley Museum now, goes to my church and it's weird seeing him so young. It's also really cool seeing such history in my hometown.

[@leandar]

I had this on video back when I was a kid, I think it aired on AETN. Nice kick back to the past there!

[@johnslate717]

Decided that within the next year I’m moving my wife son and I to Arkansas fort smith from Merced California . I’ve wanted to move to a place that has history and meaning along with a good public culture .

[@loladivine5800]

Don't do it 😂 it's meth town

[@loladivine5800]

U mean meth culture

[@joekuhl3500]

Move to Hackett, its just south of fort smith. Youll love it.

[@petrachavez6510]

@Caelyn Dewitt he should move to the Southside of town the Northside is just full of drugs and guns

[@modest8930]

Please don't bring the California mindset with you. It's the last thing this place needs

[@biggyjames6483]

I live right by Fort Smith and actually there all the time it is a great little city drove a cab there for a while. I and my father both have worked at fort chaffee it has changed a lot since it went to State ownership. A great place to visit.

[@billysimpson3177]

I had a great childhood in Fort Smith, indeed it is a special place

[@Acy17x]

What an amazing documentary

[@joshuaparsons1377]

Wow, the narrator was Lawrence Luckinbill, he played Sybok in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

[@robertmcgee7083]

Was born there, family left to ca when I was only one. Love to visit someday.

[@teresasmiley4491]

I so enjoy this video. The history is amazing. I’ve been in Arkansas for a year and a half from Washington state. I am going to be moving and now after seeing this video I’m moving to Fort Smith. I love the historical factors of the city. I live in Russell town which is a beautiful town, but I like historical places so I am moving there. We are now looking for a home and now I know where to go. Thank you for this wonderful video. This video has made my mind choose for Smith for my new home. Thank you.👋🏻👍🏼🌸

[@BigBadJohn]

It's crazy to see anyone talk about Fort Smith without Samuel Caswell Vaught and his descendants. They actually had to move nearly 500 Vaught family graves to build Lake Fort Smith. He and his seven sons were all buried there. With his brother Barry over in Caddo Gap as well, half the native population has a connection to the Vaught's. All of us tracing back to a Man born on the Cherokee Nation in what was to become Alabama.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Excellent share

[@ralphbryant4575]

Between 1817 and 1828, the land around Mountainburg was included in territory assigned by the U.S. government to the Cherokee. After the Cherokee were removed to Indian Territory (now called Oklahoma), white settlers began to claim the land. One of the first landowners in what would become Mountainburg was George Dyer. Another was Samuel Caswell Vaught, a German-American veteran of the wars with various Native American tribes in the southern states and territories. Vaught was the father of seven sons, four of whom fought in the Civil War-three for the Confederate army and one for the Federal army. Local historians claim that half of the long-term residents of the Mountainburg area are descended from Vaught. Dozens of Vaught family graves were relocated during construction of the original Lake Fort Smith. The present Vaught cemetery is located north of the Mountainburg city limits on the east side of the highway where Sheperd Springs Road intersected with Highway 71. When Lake Fort Smith was expanded (completed August 2006) the location of the old Becky Wright school and adjoining small cemetery to the west of the old school, and another cemetery between the school and lower banks of the original Lake Fort Smith were inundated by the increased lake level, and the southern end of Shepard Springs Road closed off to traffic from Hwy. 71. The burials from the two cemeteries were relocated to the northern end of the old Sheperd Springs Road south of Winfrey Valley Road, named Shepard Springs Cemetery, and both contained Vaught burials, possibly some of the original relocations. The lower cemetery contained at least one entire Vaught family that consisted of parents and children who all showed dates of death in 1882, presumedly from the small pox epidemic that swept through the area during the construction of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway that year. The original "town" of Mountainburg (although the nearby area was originally referred to as "The Narrows") was also incorporated on August 3 that same year. Located north of John Wright Lane within the city limits of Mountainburg and along the west side of the railroad tracks is "The Old Railroad Cemetery" containing mostly unmarked or simply stone-marked graves with little to no identifications. The single headstone marked grave near the back of the cemetery is that of a male Vaught child. Local verbal history states that the cemetery is that of dozens of railroad workers who died during the small pox epidemic during the original construction of the railroad through Mountainburg in 1882. The original city limits consisted of only a 1/4 mile square bordered by old Highway 71, old Highway 282, Willow Street, and the railroad tracks and depot building that was located just west of the intersection of Willow and Grahan streets. The original Mountainburg one room school was located at approximately the same area as the old high school bus barn. In earlier years prior to the railroad, the area from approximately the current lake spillway and southwest along the north side of Warloop Creek and then southward along Frog Bayou was a part of the original Butterfield Overland Stage Route that was established through northwest Arkansas in 1858, and had a "watering stop" along Warloop Creek just east of the present Hwy. 71 twin bridges. There are still remains of stacked stone horse corrals visible at the bottom of the bluff line in that area. By that year, the community already had a grist mill, a sawmill, a store, and a hotel. It also had a primitive one-room school house. Most families lived in log cabins. A Masonic lodge was built in Mountainburg in 1874. In 1876, a post office was opened in Mountainburg at the same time that the post office was closed in the nearby settlement called the Narrows. By 1900, it included a barbershop, several stores, the Creekmore Hotel, and a telephone system, as well as the school, the post office, and the railroad depot. The Presbyterian church was organized in 1927. The church began a mission school for children that also attracted adult students wanting to learn to read. During the 1930s, Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Crawford County officials began to develop a source of drinking water, also planned to be a recreational area, in the Ozark National Forest near Mountainburg. Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers helped to create the lake and surrounding facilities. Lake Fort Smith became a state park in 1967. In 1942 (some sources say 1922), a steel bridge (Silver Bridge) was built across the Frog Bayou (also known as Clear Creek) near Mountainburg. The bridge was used until 1994 when that section of old Hwy. 282 was closed for relocation. Silver Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

[@BigBadJohn]

@@ralphbryant4575 I've tried to locate Caswell's property but all I know is that the original cemetery was on his place and it was moved to impound Lake Fort Smith. There are a few old chimneys out on the hiking trails around Lake Fort Smith State Park that fit the description.

[@KevinJL]

Life's worth living in Fort Smith!

[@michaelward9167]

At 8:53 is shown W.P. Pitcock. I learned that he was my great - great grandfather on my mom's side. Don't what he did after riding for Parker. He fought for the CSA, died in 1919, and is buried in the National Cemetery in Littler Rock.

[@johnnysbricks483]

I live 3 hours west of Fort Smith, it's a pretty nice town.

[@ummmweirdo1015]

I'm from fort Smith arkansas

[@whutitdew]

It's a nice place

[@koltenschibbelhut3766]

Me 2!!!!

[@thediehardarkansasrazorbak7288]

My home!!!!!!!!!....Im so proud to say I'm from Arkansas!!!

[@MrIzaiah2007YT]

Im From oklahoma, LOL

[@thediehardarkansasrazorbak7288]

@@MrIzaiah2007YT And?

[@koltenschibbelhut3766]

Wow your name didn’t give it away hahahah

[@thediehardarkansasrazorbak7288]

@@koltenschibbelhut3766 👍

[@xavierharris9749]

Me from Fort Smith, AR: 🙋‍♂️

[@dianecannon9046]

I'm moving there in nov cant wait to get out of az

[@michaelward9167]

Why do you want to leave AZ? I talked to a man some years ago; he move to Fort Smith from Phoenix. Said Phoenix was getting to much like Los Angeles; he said moved to Phoenix to get away from LA.

[@coldarmy2926]

diane cannon Trust me , you'll want to move back to Arizona ...

[@loladivine5800]

Don't do it 😂 meth town

[@evearcana2392]

Did you move? Update?

[@floatybyboaty]

We are there for 24hrs in 2019. Best places to visit?

[@AeroRangerStudios]

This was an awesome video of Fort Smith's History from 1986. General Darby is mentioned at 21:44 and 30 Years after this video was made, in 2016, the Monument to General Darby was placed in the heart of Fort Smith. Fort Smith became the sister city of Cisterna Italy in 1984 and in 2024, Fort Smith and Cisterna celebrated 40 years of sisterhood. The Cisterna delegation visited Fort Smith in September of 2024 and we had the honor of capturing their visit on Video. So here is the story of General Darby and how and why Fort Smith is sister city to Cisterna Italy. A Salute to Former Cisterna Mayor Gianni Salis who reached out to Fort Smith to Twin our great cities. He was a child when General Darby, then a Colonel, came ashore at Anzio in 1944 near his home. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJKnnWyuh5yUrassi=3Dvv2B3GBTBuzW_b

[@notarobot638]

History’s left a thick reminisce of outlaw culture back home that still shows

[@vic078]

yep, I live there!

[@Absaroka]

I was born there. Can't wait to visit again.

[@unique144]

Viktoria F samee

[@adamjenkins3333]

born and live

[@coldarmy2926]

Same here

[@carson.t1475]

Viktoria F same :3

[@archivingtime]

What kind of a soundtrack is it?

[@ihrtsza]

I live in fort Smith ;-;

[@bonnoe8798]

same

[@maddoxwilson8319]

Same. I’m in fianna

[@kevinleon2322]

Same

[@kevinleon2322]

You guys tryyna meet up :)

[@ihrtsza]

@@kevinleon2322 Haha sadly I do not live there anymore, I moved to Georgia but I do miss it

[@Michelle21560]

The courthouse at the beginning isn't our actual courthouse! That was Judge Parker's.

[@juliankok8508]

I came to Westark Community College here in 1983...

[@Stonecoldcwbys]

Use to play there as a kid...

[@wombmanmaddriven8331]

Stonecoldcwbys Me to went to that Christian school forgot the name of it

[@Stonecoldcwbys]

Oh I hung out there everyday!!! lol I was young tho hehe

[@adamjenkins3333]

where was it?

[@Strange-en4qd]

Stonecoldcwbys me too but I was born in VanBuren

[@KitaBooBear]

Restoring the Beauty of Football

[@markriva4259]

My Mom is from Fort Smith.

[@chevyvoodoo3849]

No surprise they left Bass Reeves out..

[@asaking5795]

I know, right! They mention the outlaw Belle Starr and Reeves was the one who arrested her.

[@waynelayton8568]

Why is it a surprise? What exactly are you trying to say?

[@abizzybiz771]

@@waynelayton8568are u retarded?

[@deannaspencer8988]

Restrictions Now 800,000 % Fort Smith Ark, Ac Units Freeze up Now 900,000% Bing

[@jamesgray5243]

Why is Bass Reeves Not mention in thus Story.

[@asaking5795]

I think we all know why

[@waynelayton8568]

Maybe because back then, he wasn't as popular as he is now.

[@spayne8271]

“Live the History “

[@romansanchez2277]

Man I can’t believe Stann Smith got his own county

[@jdadams5487]

I live in Lavaca Arkansas

[@michaeldobbs4734]

Bass Reeves?

[@KitaBooBear]

Grounding His Field

[@KitaBooBear]

Broke his Back to Govern his Spring

[@donaldmartin5010]

Fort Smith ar is one of the most true west towns

[@karilove3510]

Kelli

[@FancySeeingYouHere]

Bass Reaves !?

[@alvindiaz6749]

yep I live in fort smith for the pST 14 MONTHS MAYBE I GETTING OLD HERE LIKE 69

[@Stonecoldcwbys]

The old parker court house...

[@Stonecoldcwbys]

I was born in Ft Smith 1960

[@wombmanmaddriven8331]

Stonecoldcwbys Wow hi

[@thediehardarkansasrazorbak7288]

1973 here!

[@sethalim8283]

World museum

[@waynelayton8568]

The Vietnamese love hot and humid weather

[@KitaBooBear]

Lands of the Times Conditions of the Wise

[@robertmcgee7083]

Surprised nobody killed Parker.

[@maddoxwilson8319]

Aye, who lives in Fianna Hills?

[@cixzzz2263]

Me lmaoo

[@sethalim8283]

World the fort smith story

[@Strange-en4qd]

Fuck I miss it there

[@sethalim8283]

World smith story

[@jholyroller6048]

I live in fort Smith an to take a life is not man's job God's only job to take a life were not in the old testiment anymore were In the new covenant Jesus says not to kill anymore

[@KitaBooBear]

Should I have to be this man my father was will you accept the color floating from my gloves

[@kd6844]

50 safest? Check current crime stats?

[@001C-c4e]

Fort Shit

[@leecrotty658]

The writing is so bad and cliche.