The territory in which Fort Smith was located came under the possession of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. By 1817, the establishment of Fort Smith as a military outpost took place due to this territorial acquisition. The fort's christening was an homage to General Thomas Adams Smith (1781–1844), a distinguished figure who led the United States Army Rifle Regiment in 1817.
From 1817 to 1822, Major William Bradford commanded a modest contingent of regulars at Fort Smith. However, the initial Fort Smith was abandoned by the military in 1824. Capitalizing on this site's potential, John Rogers, a shrewd army sutler and land speculator, acquired formerly government-owned lands and promoted the growth of a new civilian community named Fort Smith.
The site's strategic significance prompted the federal government to reestablish a military presence at Fort Smith during Indian Removal in the 1830s. Furthermore, Fort Smith was a pivotal base for the U.S. Army during the Mexican War between 1846 and 1848.
1858 witnessed Fort Smith's designation as a Division Center along the 7th Division route of the Butterfield Overland Mail route, stretching from Fort Smith through Indian Territory to Texas. It also marked a junction with the mail route originating in Memphis, Tennessee—an important port on the Mississippi River's eastern banks.
During the U.S. Civil War, the Confederate Army took possession of the fort for nearly one year. However, the tides shifted as Union forces, commanded by General Steele, seized control of Fort Smith on September 1, 1863. While a minor skirmish unfurled on July 31, 1864, the Union army maintained its authority over the region until the war's culmination.
Serving as the U.S. District Judge from 1875 to 1896, Judge Parker earned the moniker of the "Hanging Judge." In his inaugural term, Judge Parker presided over the trials of 18 individuals accused of murder. Among them, 15 were convicted, and eight were condemned to face the gallows. Six of these men met their fate on a single day. Judge Parker's tenure in Fort Smith culminated in issuing 160 death sentences, out of which 79 were executed via hanging. The building that housed his legal proceedings now stands as a National Historic Site, where "more men faced execution by the U.S. Government than any other location in the annals of American history."
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