Seven local Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) members spent the summer gaining hands-on work experience while helping to preserve and maintain Fort Smith National Historic Site. This opportunity was funded in part by the National Park Foundation, and the crew worked alongside National Park Service staff on projects that introduced participants to preservation trades and maintenance skills.
Sulphur, Okla. – Chickasaw National Recreation Area is seeking one applicant to cut and remove hay from three former agricultural fields within the park.
The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Patrick Malone as program manager of Region 6, 7 and 8 National Trails Office. In this role, Malone will administer the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail, California National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Celebrate National Public Lands Day by helping clean up Rock Creek at Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Join park staff at the Lincoln Bridge parking lot near the junction of Highway 177 and Northwest Perimeter Road on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 9:00 am to sign up as a volunteer. The event will last until noon.
On April 27, a tornado touched down south of Veterans Lake in Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Perhaps the most iconic tree impacted by the tornado was the Monkey Tree. While the Monkey Tree did sustain damage, experts say it will likely survive.
The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Devon Bradley as superintendent of Chickasaw National Recreation Area. In this role, Bradley will also supervise the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site superintendent and support operations at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Bradley will begin his new assignment in August.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area is seeking applicants to cut and remove hay from three former agricultural fields in Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area is reopening a number of areas of the park, including Veterans Lake, Bromide Hill, Rock Creek Campground, Cats Eye Road, Bromide Pavilion, the Bromide Picnic Area, and Bluestem Prairie. The remainder of the trail system has also opened, including the Bison Pasture Loop, the spur trails to Bromide Hill and Rock Creek Campground, the Inkana Trail, the Veterans Lake Trail, and the Rock Creek Multi-Use Trails.
Beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 13, Chickasaw National Recreation Area will reopen the Central Campground, Cold Springs Campground, and the Buckhorn area of the park, including Buckhorn Campground Loops C and D, the boat launch, fishing dock, and picnic areas. Buckhorn Campground Loops A and B will remain closed until brush piles are removed.
Beginning at 8 a.m. May 10th, Chickasaw National Recreation Area will reopen The Point area of the park, including the boat launch area, picnic areas, and campground.
On April 27, a tornado touched down south of Veterans Lake in Chickasaw National Recreation Area. It traveled northeast for 1.4 miles and was .5 miles wide. Most trees in the tornado’s path were uprooted or had their canopies sheared off. Very few were left unscathed.
Most of the Platt Historic District that is east of U.S. Route 177 will open to the public at 8 a.m. Monday morning, May 6th. This opening includes the Southeast and Northeast Perimeter Drives, all trails east of the highway, the Travertine Nature Center and Little Niagara. However, Central Campground and Cold Springs Campgrounds will remain closed.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area remains temporarily closed to all public access due to the unprecedented damage from a tornado that impacted the park and the town of Sulphur on April 27, 2024. National Park Service crews are conducting assessments on the damage. The park will remain closed until the assessments have been completed.
The 7th Annual Fort Smith Fall Festival returns on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., bringing a full day of free family-friendly activities, living history, arts, shopping, and community festivities to downtown Fort Smith. Hosted by Fort Smith National Historic Site, the festival has become Fort Smith's largest history-themed event and brings together several of the city's museums, attractions, and community organizations for one unforgettable day. Schedule of Events at Fort Smith National Historic Site: 10:00 am: Belle Starr Trial Reenactment (Prior reservations required) 11:00 am: School of the Soldier: Musket Drill Kid's Program 11:30 am: Civil War Cannon Demonstration, Speech by Mayor McGill 12:00 pm: "Running at the Heads" Cavalry Demonstration 1:00 pm: You Be The Judge! Kid's Court Photo Booth 2:00 pm: Civil War Cannon Demonstration 2:30 pm: "Running at the Heads" Cavalry Demonstration 3:00 pm: Civil War Cannon Demonstration We'll also feature more than 80 living history reenactors portraying life at the first and second Fort Smiths, Deputy U.S. Marshals, soldiers, and frontier residents. Visitors can enjoy infantry, cavalry, and cannon demonstrations, historic garden tours, children's Choctaw and Victorian games, hands-on arts and crafts, and take-home prizes. The historic courtroom will once again host the popular Belle Starr Trial Reenactment, and the park will also welcome the 12th Annual Fort Smith Volunteer Fair. All National Historic Site programs are free. Nearby Attractions: Fort Smith Museum of History will provide free museum admission, costumed interpreters, and additional opportunities to experience Fort Smith's rich past. The Clayton House will have a free open house and celebrate Colonel William H.H. Clayton's Birthday, giving guests a chance to explore one of Fort Smith's most treasured historic homes. Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum will have free admission with special speakers, a market, and food trucks. A Grand Re-Opening Event will be from 9am-10am. Fort Smith Regional Art Museum will host its annual Fall Family Day with free art activities and family programming. Fort Smith Trolley Museum will offer free trolley rides throughout the festival! The U.S. Marshals Museum will offer discounted admission until 4pm. Fort Smith Visitor Center will have a kids’ quilt craft, dog treats, and a dog water station The Fort Smith Farmers Market will be active right across the street from 7am to noon. Nearly 100 artisan and retail vendors Delicious food trucks FREE shuttle service connecting festival locations throughout downtown For a complete schedule of events, parking information, trolley stops, and festival maps, visit www.fortsmithfallfest.com.
Remember and commemorate the survival of the Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat in 1838-1839.
In 1857, businessman and transportation entrepreneur John Butterfield was awarded a contract to establish an overland mail route between the eastern United States and growing populations in the Far West. What became known as the Butterfield Overland Trail made an arcing sweep across the southern rim of the country. Stagecoaches left twice a week carrying passengers, freight, and mail.
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.
You can almost hear the whoops and cries of "All's set!" as trail hands hitched their oxen to freight wagons carrying cargo between western Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through five states and you'll find adventure and evidence of past travelers who made this remarkable trip before you!
The outdoor symbolic memorial is a place of quiet reflection, honoring victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. It encompasses the now sacred soil where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood, capturing and preserving forever the place and events that changed the world.
On November 27, 1868, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer led the 7th US Cavalry on a surprise dawn attack on a Cheyenne village led by Peace Chief Black Kettle. The event was an example of the tragic clash of cultures that occurred during the Great Plains Wars. It is also a place of remembrance and reflection for those who died here. Read More
