Fort Smith National Historic Landmark Nomination (Updated Documentation)
Reed PS and Edie W. 2015. Fort Smith National Historic Landmark Nomination (Updated Documentation). National Historic Landmark Nominations. 66000202_NHL. National Park Service. Washington, DC
This document is updated National Historic Landmark (NHL) documentation for the Fort Smith National Historic Landmark in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. The updated NHL nomination for the Fort Smith NHL documents its national significance under NHL Criteria 1 and 2. Fort Smith meets Criterion 1 for its central role in the development of the US government’s American Indian policy and removal, and as the seat of the US District Court of Western Arkansas and the Indian Territory from 1871 to 1896, when jurisdiction within Indian Territory was terminated by Congress. The property meets Criterion 2 for association with District Court Judge Isaac C. Parker. Judge Parker's strict and often controversial interpretation of law on the frontier reined in outlaws, sought to protect rights of Native Americans, and unwittingly paved the way for dismantling of the discrete Indian Territory and tribal sovereignty in favor of the new U.S. Territory of Oklahoma. The period of national significance is 1817-1896.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Reed, Paula; Edie, Wallace
- Date of Issue
- 2015-12-27
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- FOSM
- Keywords
- Arkansas, frontier, Judge Parker Courtroom, legal, military, National Historic Landmark, Native American, Sebastian County, westward expansion