Misplaced Pages

#192807

64-593: The Poteau River also serves as the border between the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma for one mile to the south of Fort Smith . This border gives an additional 57 acres of land to Arkansas that would have instead been an exclave of the Choctaw Nation before 1905 when it was handed over to Arkansas. Poteau is the French word for " post. " It is believed that the river was named in 1716 by French explorers, led by Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe , who may have used

128-531: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

192-541: A Catholic grade school for black children, St. John the Baptist School; it closed in 1968. The Southwest Times Record is the largest newspaper in the city, as well as the region. It is owned by Gannett . The Hispanos Unidos is the only Spanish-language publication in the region. Other publications in the Fort Smith area include Entertainment Fort Smith and Do South Magazine . AM radio Stations in

256-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

320-795: A four-year institution. In 2001, the Sebastian County electorate voted to support the merger. A formal request to change affiliation status to that of a bachelor's degree-granting institution under the name of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith was submitted to the Higher Learning Commission in August 2001 and approved by the Institutional Actions Council on November 19, 2001. The merger, which became official on January 1, 2002, endorsed

384-534: A large tornado, part of the April 1996 tornado outbreak sequence , destroyed and heavily damaged much of historic downtown Fort Smith around the Garrison Avenue Bridge. The storm tracked from eastern Pittsburg County, Oklahoma into Fort Smith and Van Buren, Arkansas. The tornado left four people dead in western Arkansas. Days later, the damaged Eads Brothers Furniture building in downtown Fort Smith

448-647: A major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan,

512-660: A post to mark the mouth of the river. The nearby city of Poteau, Oklahoma takes its name from the river. In the 1820 Treaty of Doak's Sand between the United States and the Choctaw Nation, and later refined in the 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek , the boundary between Arkansas and the Choctaw ran from the easternmost point under Choctaw control along the Red River to the western edge of Fort Smith, Arkansas. This boundary created an area of approximately 57 acres that

576-502: Is home to several corporations, including ABB Motors & Mechanical , ArcBest and poultry company OK Foods . According to the city's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Various television programs and movies have been filmed in Fort Smith, including The Blue and The Gray (1982), A Soldier's Story (1984), Biloxi Blues (1988) Trespass and Tuskegee Airmen (1995) There are multiple museums in Fort Smith, located primarily in

640-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of

704-497: Is part of the University of Arkansas System . The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith was founded in 1928 as an extension of the Fort Smith Public School system, with the superintendent, James William Ramsey, acting as the college president and the high school principal as dean. Known originally as Fort Smith Junior College , the institution operated within the Fort Smith public school system until 1950, when

SECTION 10

#1732772447193

768-682: Is the third-most populous city in Arkansas , United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County . As of the 2020 census , the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area , a region of 298,592 residents that encompasses the Arkansas counties of Crawford , Franklin , and Sebastian, and the Oklahoma counties of LeFlore and Sequoyah . Fort Smith lies on

832-491: Is the main shopping destination of Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. Central Mall is the state's largest indoor shopping center in terms of area. Some notable shopping locations in the city of Fort Smith are: In addition to sports teams sponsored by Fort Smith Public Schools and University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Fort Smith has several independent recreational sports programs and annual tournaments administered by local organizations: The city has one major university that

896-411: Is used in the U.S. state of Vermont and in several other English-speaking jurisdictions, such as Venezuela . In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia

960-545: The Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM), a private, non-profit institution, welcomed its inaugural class in August 2017. Graduates of ARCOM receive a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. The public schools in the majority of Fort Smith, as well as a section of Barling , are operated by the Fort Smith School District . Currently, the district includes 26 schools. During

1024-800: The Arkansas River at Belle Point , where it serves as a border between Oklahoma and Arkansas for a short distance. Tributaries of the Poteau River include the Fourche Maline , the Brazil Creek, and the Sans Bois Creek. Notable towns located along the river, in order from source to mouth, include Wister , Heavener , Poteau, Panama , Spiro , and Fort Coffee in Oklahoma, and Fort Smith in Arkansas. The construction of

1088-555: The Arkansas River for a fort. General Smith never visited the town or the forts that bore his name. A stockade was built and occupied from 1817 until 1822 by a small troop of regulars commanded by Major William Bradford . A small settlement began forming around the fort, but the Army abandoned the first Fort Smith in 1824 and moved 80 miles further west to Fort Gibson . John Rogers, an Army sutler and land speculator, bought up former government-owned lands at this site and promoted growth of

1152-776: The Butterfield Overland Mail 's 7th Division route across Indian Territory from Fort Smith to Texas and as a junction with the mail route from Memphis, Tennessee , an important port on the east side of the Mississippi River. For roughly a year of the American Civil War , the fort was occupied by the Confederate States Army . Union troops under General Frederick Steele took control of Fort Smith on September 1, 1863 . A small fight occurred there on July 31, 1864, but

1216-564: The Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government

1280-547: The Union Army maintained command in the area until the war ended in 1865. As a result, many refugee slaves, orphans, Southern Unionists , and others came here to escape the guerrilla warfare raging in Arkansas, Missouri, and the border states . The slaves were freed under the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln . Federal troops abandoned the post of Fort Smith for

1344-605: The 2019–2020 school year, the district had an enrollment of more than 14,748 students. It has 2 high schools, 4 middle schools, 19 elementary schools, and 1 alternative learning center. Fort Smith public schools provide education from kindergarten through the 12th grade, as do some private Protestant schools. Catholic parochial schools offer education through the ninth grade. Middle Schools in Fort Smith include Chaffin Middle School, Ramsey Middle School, Kimmons Middle School, and Darby Middle School. Private schools covering

SECTION 20

#1732772447193

1408-490: The Arkansas–Oklahoma state border, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, also known as Belle Point . Fort Smith was established as a western frontier military post in 1817, when it was also a center of fur trading. The city developed there. It became well known as a base for migrants' settling of the " Wild West " and for its law enforcement heritage, as it was the hub for white law enforcement of

1472-517: The Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it

1536-412: The Fort Smith area include: FM Radio Stations in the Fort Smith area include: Television stations in the Fort Smith area include: County seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government , or capital city of a county or civil parish . The term is in use in five countries: Canada , China , Hungary , Romania , and the United States . An equivalent term, shire town ,

1600-554: The Fort Smith district. At that time, the Fort Smith district not only held the responsibility for law in Western Arkansas, but also the Indian Territory. Judge Parker served as U.S. District Judge 1875–1896. He was nicknamed the "Hanging Judge": in his first term after assuming his post, he tried 18 people for murder, convicted 15 of them, and sentenced eight of those to die. Six of these men were later hanged on

1664-655: The Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. The evidence surrounding these claims is sparse and inconsistent, however. The most credible artifact that has been discovered is the " Heavener Runestone ," which can be seen in Heavener Runestone Park located in Heavener, Oklahoma. 35°23′15″N 94°26′03″W  /  35.38750°N 94.43417°W  / 35.38750; -94.43417  ( Poteau River ) Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith

1728-884: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

1792-535: The Wister Dam near river mile 70 of the Poteau River created the reservoir Lake Wister in December 1949. Lake Wister State Park has since been built around the reservoir. The lake and dam both take their name from the nearby town of Wister, Oklahoma. Numerous runestones have been found in Oklahoma and are believed by locals to be the works of Viking explorers who traveled up the Poteau River after navigating

1856-448: The abundance of cocaine smugglers that utilized this loophole. In 1905, without consulting the Choctaw, the U.S. government handed the 57 acres over to the state of Arkansas, making the Poteau River the boundary between Arkansas and the Choctaw for around one mile. This boundary was the de facto border in Oklahoma's constitution and remained the undisputed border until the 1985 U.S. Supreme Court case Oklahoma v. Arkansas. Oklahoma argued

1920-503: The adjacent Indian Territory. The city government is led by Mayor George McGill (D), who in 2018 was elected as the city's mayor (the first African American in its history), and a city Board of Directors composed of three members elected at-large and four members elected by ward. The United States acquired the territory and large areas west of the Mississippi River from France in the Louisiana Purchase (1803). Soon after,

1984-421: The age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under

Poteau River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2048-460: The age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 32,157, and the median income for a family was $ 41,012. Males had a median income of $ 29,799 versus $ 22,276 for females. The per capita income for

2112-639: The base. They used troops to forcibly relocate the Choctaw and Cherokee , from their ancestral homelands in the Southeast; they were the last of the tribes to leave. Remnants of the Five Civilized Tribes remained in the southeast, and some of their descendants have reorganized and been federally recognized. The Cherokee called the forced migration the Trail of Tears , as some of their people and

2176-401: The central United States. The city has been struck by three major tornadoes , which occurred in the years of 1898 , 1927 and 1996 . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 89,142 people, 36,210 households, and 22,349 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 census , there were 86,209 people, 34,352 households, and 21,367 families residing in the city. The population density

2240-482: The city was $ 18,994. About 12.1% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over. Fort Smith has long been a regional manufacturing center, with major plants located in the city operated by Rheem , Trane, Georgia-Pacific , Gerber, Kraft Heinz Company-Planters Peanuts, Mars Petcare, Umarex USA, Graphic Packaging, International Paper, Pernod Ricard-USA, and many others. Fort Smith

2304-468: The concept of UA-Fort Smith as a unique university, one that offers applied and traditional baccalaureate degree programs, one- and two-year associate and technical programs, and noncredit business and industry training programs. While the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is the city's only state supported institution of higher learning. In addition to the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS),

2368-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in

2432-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

2496-623: The downtown area and the Chaffee Crossing Historic District. Fort Smith has an active music scene. There are frequent live performances in the downtown area by local and national Jazz, Blues, Country, Americana and Rock bands. Local bands regularly frequent the riverfront area highlighting the river valley's finest. As the third largest city in western Arkansas, Fort Smith offers many activities and attractions. Fort Smith's theater and event venues regularly host major concerts and touring theater companies. Fort Smith

2560-568: The government sent the Pike Expedition (1806) to explore the areas along the Arkansas River . The U.S. founded Fort Smith in 1817 as a military post. It was named after General Thomas Adams Smith (1781–1844), who commanded the United States Army Rifle Regiment in 1817, headquartered near St. Louis. General Smith had ordered Army topographical engineer Stephen H. Long (1784–1864) to find a suitable site on

2624-449: The high stays at or below freezing on 3.8 days, reaches 90 °F (32 °C) on 77.8 days, and 100 °F (38 °C) on 11.1 days annually. The average first and last occurrences for freezing temperatures are November 6 and March 25, respectively. Extreme temperatures range from −15 °F (−26 °C) on February 12, 1899 to 115 °F (46 °C) on August 3, 2011. Fort Smith is situated near an area known as Tornado Alley in

Poteau River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-625: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2752-487: The larger area to be served and reflecting the more comprehensive mission. The name of the college was changed yet again in February 1998 to Westark College , more accurately portraying the role and scope of the institution. On December 15, 2000, the Board of Trustees of Westark College entered into an agreement with the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas to merge with the University of Arkansas System as

2816-529: The last time in 1871. The town continued to thrive despite the absence of federal troops. Two of Fort Smith's most notable historic figures were Judge Isaac C. Parker and William Henry Harrison Clayton, also known as W. H. H. Clayton . In 1874, William Clayton was appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas by President Ulysses S. Grant . Fort Smith was a bustling community full of brothels, saloons, and outlaws, just across

2880-611: The new civilian town of Fort Smith. Due to the strategic location of this site, the federal government re-established a military presence at Fort Smith during the Indian removal era of the 1830s, primarily of tribes from the American Southeast to west of the Mississippi River in Indian Territory , which is present-day Oklahoma. In 1838, the Army moved back into the old military post near Belle Point, and expanded

2944-551: The number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after

3008-415: The people who were enslaved died from starvation, hypothermia, exhaustion and many illnesses along the way. The army enforced the removal of these tribes to the reserved Indian Territory, where the federal government set aside land that was less fertile while imposing detentes between distinct nations. Many displaced people stopped walking and settled in Fort Smith and adjoining Van Buren on the other side of

3072-677: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (11.6% Mexican, 2.2% Salvadoran, 0.4% Guatemalan, 0.3% Puerto Rican, 0.2% Honduran, 0.1% Cuban, 0.1% Peruvian, 0.1% Colombian). In language, Fort Smith has more than ten Asian languages spoken by more than two percent of the population. Also, the increase in immigration from Latin American countries in the late 20th century increased the number of residents who speak Spanish. 7.10% reported speaking Spanish at home, while 3.38% speak Vietnamese and Lao , and 2.50% speak Tagalog . In 2000, there were 32,398 households, of which 30.8% had children under

3136-426: The river from Indian Territory. William Clayton realized a strong judge would be necessary to bring law and order to the region. He knew that Parker was a strong judge. But Parker had been appointed Chief Justice of Utah Territory and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. With the help of President Grant and U.S. Senator Powell Clayton , former governor of Arkansas, William Clayton was able to gain the appointment of Parker in

3200-652: The river. The U.S. Army also used Fort Smith as a base during the Mexican–American War (1846-1848). As a result, the U.S. acquired large territories in the Southwest, and later annexed the Republic of Texas, which had been independent from 1836-1846. Sebastian County was formed in 1851, separated from Crawford County north of the Arkansas River. In 1858, Fort Smith was designated as a Division Center of

3264-490: The same day. Over the course of his career in Fort Smith, Parker sentenced 160 people to death. Of those, 79 were executed on the gallows. His courthouse is now marked as a National Historic Site , where "more men were put to death by the U.S. Government... than in any other place in American history." Parker was assisted in his law enforcement efforts by famed African-American marshal Bass Reeves . William Clayton served as U.S. Attorney under four different presidents and later

SECTION 50

#1732772447193

3328-408: The same grade range include Trinity Catholic School, Union Christian Academy, and Northside Christian Academy. High schools in Fort Smith include the public Northside High School and Southside High School , along with the private Union Christian Academy and Northside Christian Academy. Some portions of Fort Smith in the south are zoned to Greenwood School District . Fort Smith previously had

3392-415: The school was incorporated as a private, nonprofit institution with its own governing board. In September 1952, the college moved from borrowed facilities in the high school to its current site, initially occupying 15 acres (6.07  ha ). In 1966, the institution's name was changed from Fort Smith Junior College to Westark Junior College and in 1972, it was renamed Westark Community College , indicating

3456-777: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

3520-723: The term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under

3584-399: The territory was unjustly taken from the Choctaw and should be given to Oklahoma. The Supreme Court decided on July 1, 1985, that the established boundary favoring Arkansas would stand, making the Poteau River the border for approximately one mile between Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Poteau River originates 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) south of Bee Mountain near Waldron, Arkansas, and converges with

3648-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

3712-624: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

3776-479: Was 1,391.2 inhabitants per square mile (537.1/km ). There were 37,899 housing units at an average density of 612.3 per square mile (236.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 69.3% White , 9.0% Black or African American , 1.8% Native American , 5.3% Asian (2.2% Vietnamese, 1.7% Laotian, 0.3% Asian Indian, 0.2% Filipino, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Chinese, 0.1% Hmong, 0.1% Pakistani), 0.1% Pacific Islander , 10.3% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races . 16.5% of

3840-610: Was admitted to the Union in 1907. Governor Frantz and Judge Clayton both lost their territorial positions when Oklahoma became a state; a new governor was elected and the Roosevelt administration appointed a new judge. During investment in the military prior to World War II, the Army returned to Fort Smith in 1941. It established the Fort Chaffee Military Reservation east of the city. On April 21, 1996,

3904-537: Was appointed as Chief Justice of Indian Territory. He was instrumental in achieving statehood for Oklahoma in 1907, after Native American claims were extinguished by distribution of communal lands under the Dawes Act and the breakup of tribal governments. Together with Territorial Governor Frank Frantz , Clayton took a copy of the Oklahoma Constitution to President Theodore Roosevelt after the state

SECTION 60

#1732772447193

3968-615: Was destroyed by one of the largest fires in the city's history. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 64.6 square miles (167 km ), of which 61.7 square miles (160 km ) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km ) (6.3%) is water. Fort Smith has a humid subtropical climate with generally mild winters and hot, humid summers. The monthly mean temperature ranges from 40.4 °F (4.7 °C) in January to 83.1 °F (28.4 °C) in July; on average,

4032-538: Was legally Choctaw but was bound by Fort Smith in the East, the Arkansas River in the North, and the Poteau River to the southeast. This caused an effective exclave of the Choctaw Nation only accessible by passing through Arkansas. This 57-acre area became a hotspot for outlaws avoiding the jurisdiction of Arkansas while being out of the functional jurisdiction of the Choctaw Nation. The area became known as "Coke Hill" due to

4096-583: Was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been

#192807