Fort Smith NHS

 

Life on the Edge of the Frontier

Explore life on the edge of frontier and Indian Territory through the stories of soldiers, the Trail of Tears, scandals, outlaws, and lawmen who pursued them.

From the establishment of the first Fort Smith on December 25, 1817, to the final days of Judge Isaac C. Parker's jurisdiction over Indian Territory in 1896, Fort Smith National Historic Site preserves almost 80 years of history.

Sept 25, 2021

Lots of interesting history. Fort Smith was the last fort before the Indian territory of Oklahoma. It was here that Judge Isaac Parker held the bench. While not a strong supporter of capital punishment he sentenced 160 men to death due to the sentencing guidelines during his time on the bench, resulting in the Judge earning the nick name "The hanging Judge". 86 men met the gallows under his tenure. The Visitor's Center was closed for renovation during our visit, so we plan on a return trip later. We got to take in the rest of the unit including the rebuilt gallows and a nice trail that takes in most of the outlying areas of the unit. We spent a few hours here this visit and look forward to a return to take in the Visitors Center and Court room of Judge Isaac Parker.    

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 148th NPS Unit

Capulin Volcano NM

 

Explore an Extinct Cinder Cone Volcano

Part of the 8,000 square mile Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field, Capulin Volcano showcases the volcanic geology of northeastern New Mexico.  The views are spectacular day or night, with views of 4 different states from the volcanic rim and one of the darkest night skies in the country.
Whether it's a quick stop or a day's trip, enjoy exploring the landscape of this unique volcano!

Sept 16 2021

This was a return visit from our failed attempt to visit this park last year. The park was closed due to COVID and made that visit a recon visit. This visit we got to explore the Park. First starting at the Visitor Center. it's a small Visitor Center that is more store then information center. They do offer a short movie that we had already seen online. We then headed out to take the road up to the top of the cider cone volcano. The drive up was inspiring and the view from the top was breathtaking. We did not take the Crater Vent Trail this trip but it looked to be an easy trail to take and it is a .4 mile trail roundtrip. We will have to put that on a return trip. We are looking forward to a return visit to take in  an overnight visit. This park is known for there dark sky programs. This park can be seen in a few hours or all day, hiking the different trails that are offered. 

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 147th NPS Unit

Enough Mom lets go for a walk on a trail.