FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) — Visitors at the Fort Smith National Historic Site can see a re-created gallows and what Judge Isaac Parker’s courtroom looked like. Yet a part of the site that sometimes draws the most intense interest is in the ground.
Fifty years ago, the foundations of the original fort were rediscovered, an event that enabled the old federal camp to attain status as a national historic site.
Recommended Stories
The Southwest Times Record reports (http://is.gd/ZUFwhK ) the exact location of the fort had been forgotten until uncovered by archeologists in 1962 and 1963.
Area archeologist and Fort Smith native Clyde Dollar performed preliminary excavations in 1959, then had federal help.
Park Ranger Loren McLane says the original footings of a tower, barracks and other buildings are among the site’s most popular spots for visitors.
___
Information from: Southwest Times Record, http://www.swtimes.com/
