There was an event at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith
we attended and then helped to clean up after.
One of the neatest things about the day was a march honoring Dr. Marin
Luther King, Jr. Everyone in attendance
marched around campus lead by ROTC students displaying an American Flag and the
UAFS drum corps. Being aware of the
freedoms we have today, that we were able to march without fear of police
brutality, was pretty neat. We’ve come a
long way as a country, but we’re definitely not at the end of the road
yet.
After the event, we figured we had driven the hour and a
half to Fort Smith so we better check out the town. We headed to Fort Smith’s cluster of National
Historic Sites. Part of the National
Park Service. We were also pleasantly surprised
to find out it was a free admission day due to MLK day. Score for our small stipends and us!
The most recognizable place we saw was the Trail of Tears
National Historic Trail. According to my
informational brochure: In 1987 Congress established this unit of the National
Trails System, commemorating the removal of five Eastern tribes and their
forced journey to Oklahoma.
We also saw the courthouse and jail that Judge Isaac C.
Parker presided over. The most
interesting part of the section was what was constructed just outside the
jail/courthouse. Gallows. A reproduction of the 1886 gallows serve as a
reminder of the chaotic social conditions that existed at the time.
The gallows were designed to hang as many as six condemned
criminals at a time. In all 79 people were hanged at the gallows. When we walked into the gallows area, we took
note of the 6 nooses. Only on
anniversaries of hangings are the nooses displayed. In the history of the gallows, only twice
were 6 people hanged at once. We just so
happened to be there on one of those days.
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