• Rifle Regiment arriving at Belle Point, 1817. Artwork by Michael Haynes

    Fort Smith

    National Historic Site AR,OK

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Initial Point Marker

NPS Photo

Initial Point Marker
N 35° 23.390’
W 94° 25.884’

A small stone marker was set here in 1858 to commemorate the 1825 establishment of the boundary between Arkansas Territory and the lands of the Choctaw Nation. For some 65 years after the boundary was established, only Indians were allowed to settle west of this line. The original stone marker is on display in the Visitors Center.

 
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Did You Know?

Park staff and volunteers demonstrating using lindstock and slowmatch to ignite the cannon's primer

The soldiers who came to Fort Smith in 1817 were still using some 18th century technology and drill.  The cannon was discharged using a lindstock and slowmatch to ignite the primer, which originally was loose powder or a turkey quill filled with powder.