United Country All Star Real Estate Branch

Ft. Smith Arkansas & Sebastian County Area History

In The Lush River Valley Region,
Between The Boston Mountain Range & The Ouachita Mountain Range

   
On Christmas day, 1817, soldiers of the U.S. Army formally established the first Fort Smith. Isolated on
the edge of the American Frontier, these men, under
the command of Major William Bradford, were charged with keeping the peace between the Cherokee and Osage tribes.
   
    
Officially operational for only 7 years, the first Fort Smith marked the beginning of Fort Smith's 80-year
history as an agent of Federal Indian Policy. The second Fort Smith was established by an act of Congress
in 1838, two years after Arkansas gained statehood.
   
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Unwanted by the army, the fort was initially
designed as a massive fortification. Construction of the garrison took eight years due to labor difficulties, budget overruns, and other reasons. Fort Smith's history is strongly tied to the history of the relocation of the five tribes, better known as "The Trail
of Tears."
  
The soldiers of the first Fort Smith were sent
west to keep the peace between the incoming Cherokees and the Osage.
    
The stockade fort was abandoned by the army and relocated prior to the forced removal. The second Fort Smith supplied the newly relocated tribes as
well as other military posts in the Indian Territory.
 
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United Country All Star Real Estate Branch - Ft. Smith Arkansas & Sebastian County
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