Aerial view of visitor center
The former barracks, courthouse, and jail serves as the park's visitor center NPS Photo

Fort Smith National Historic Site

National Historic Site · Arkansas · National Park Service

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.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
4797833961
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: African American Heritage · Archeology · Ruins · Explorers and Expeditions · Forts · Incarceration · Jails and Prisons · Medicine · Hospital · Military · Artillery · Cavalry · Schools and Education · Transportation · Trains and Railroads · Wars and Conflicts · Tribal Conflicts · Civil War · Westward Expansion · Women's History · Animals · Birds · River and Riparian · Scenic Views

Activities & features: Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Junior Ranger Program · Park Film · Museum Exhibits · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store

Photos

  • Commissary and Supply Wagon
    NPS Photo
  • Entrance sign in snow
    NPS Photo
  • Foundations of first Fort Smith and Arkansas River
    NPS Photo
  • Jail Wagon and Gallows
    NPS Photo
  • Supply Wagon and visitor center
    NPS Photo
  • The red brick visitor center framed by two redbud trees with a paved path leading to it.
    NPS Photo
  • A snow-covered Hawthorn bush partially obscures the red brick visitor center in the background.
    NPS Photo
  • Purple and orange flowers bloom in the foreground with the red brick visitor center in the back.
    NPS Photo

Nearby parks

Parks of Arkansas

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12