Outlaws, law officers and frontier justice featured in Fort Smith Saturday
The history of Fort Smith will be depicted Saturday with costumes, characters, a courtroom trial and cannons.
A notorious female outlaw is on trial in the federal courtroom just like in 1883 when the federal judge was known for hanging those found guilty. A fine fall day is expected for visitors to the historic haunts.
The fall festival at the Fort Smith National Historic Site is Saturday, Oct. 8.
Cody Faber, park ranger at the site, said this is the third such event that has grown each year.
"Fort Smith has so much to offer downtown of a historical nature. This is a one-stop shop. If there was ever a time you want to see living history, this is it," Faber said. "Everything you can think of downtown that is historically related will be here."
Faber, 36, is from Hackett and attended Greenwood schools.
As a boy, he remembers coming to heritage festivals in Fort Smith.
"I can't believe I get to coordinate it now, it is kind of fun to me," Faber said. "This was always home and I was always interested in history as a little kid and now I get to shoot cannons."
Cannons will be fired at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The cannons will be from a collection of private and national park cannons fired on the parade grounds outside the visitor's center, 301 Parker Ave.
One of the big featured attractions is the reenactment of the 1883 trial of Belle and Sam Starr on horse theft charges in U.S. District Judge Isaac Parker's courtroom. Donna Knecht and Jim Kirkpatrick of Roland will portray Belle and Sam Starr. Roger Carter of Fort Smith will play Judge Parker.
Saturday events also include the Fort Smith Trolley Museum, Fort Smith Museum of History, Fort Smith Farmer’s Market, Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, Miss Laura’s Visitor Center, the Clayton House, and Judgment Town from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"We will hopefully see very large crowds. It is our largest event of the year," Faber said. "Enjoy a nice fall day out in the nice weather and come see the history of Fort Smith."
There is no chance for rain Saturday with a high of 76 degrees.
The event includes over 60 reenactors, garden tours, Deputy Marshal encampments, a trial reenactment, and infantry, cavalry, and artillery demonstrations. The children’s area will have Choctaw and Victorian games, arts and crafts, and kids will get to take home prizes. Historic music will be played throughout the day by the band Squirrel Brains and Gravy.
An Antique Car Show will be at the Frisco Depot parking lot.
Members of the Choctaw Nation will host a Choctaw stickball game.
And volunteers will put Belle Starr on trial for horse theft in the courtroom she historically would have tried in during a court reenactment. Fort Smith Mayor McGill will have opening remarks for the event at 10 a.m.
The City of Fort Smith is offering wheeled trolley rides between each of the major venues. A section of Parker Ave. and 3rd Street will be closed and hosting an Arts and Crafts Fair with over 50 vendors. The Fort Smith Trolley Museum will be having an Antique Tractor and Engine show and trolley rides.
The Fort Smith Museum of History will be having museum tours and dozens of costumed reenactors for visitors to meet.
The Clayton House will offer tours of the home as well as arts and crafts throughout the day also.
The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum will have arts, crafts, face painting, photo booths, music, food trucks and John Bell Jr. prints on display at 1601 Rogers Ave.
Judgment Town, a recreation of an old west town by the Lawbreakers and Peacemakers, will have shootouts and robbing the trolley.
The Fort Smith Farmers Market will be from 7 a.m. to noon.
The trial of Belle and Sam Starr will be reenacted in the historic courtroom of U.S. District Judge Isaac Parker, the "Hangin' Judge," at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. in the park visitor center. The cost to see the trial is $10.
Belle Starr was known as "The Bandit Queen" who was on trial for horse theft.
Outside the old courthouse, the gallows still stand not far from the banks of the Arkansas River. The wood is preserved with white paint.
The noose no longer hangs from the gallows where public hangings took place. But a sign does declare the past capital punishment method should be respected as "an instrument of justice." Parker presided over trials that ended in 79 hangings.
Faber said more than 1,000 people are expected Saturday, Oct. 8 for the fall festival events.
For event calendar and updates please follow Fort Smith National Historic Site or Fort Smith Fall Festival on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Fort Smith National Historic Site fall festival is Saturday, Oct. 8
