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The Man who Tamed the West
This simple stone marks the
grave of U.S. District Judge Isaac
C. Parker, Fort Smith's "hanging
judge." Parker and his deputies
brought law and order to the
frontier. More than 100 of
Parker's deputies died in the line
of duty and many are buried here.

A walk among the graves at Fort
Smith National Cemetery is more
than a walk into the history of the
frontier, it is a journey into the heart of
America.

There are thousands of graves here,
and each one tells a different and
unique story. Some of the men buried
here were soldiers who garrisoned
Fort Smith in the years before the Civil
War. Nearby are the graves of both
Union and Confederate soldiers,
many of them unknown, who gave
their lives in the most deadly war in
American history.

Among the Civil War soldiers buried
at Fort Smith is Confederate Brigadier
General Richard C. Gatlin. A major in
the U.S. Army in 1861, he was one of
two officers taken prisoner when state
troops seized Fort Smith. He offered
his services to the South and served
in North Carolina.

The cemetery also includes the grave
of U.S. District Judge Isaac C. Parker,
Fort Smith's "hanging judge." He and
his marshals literally "tamed the
west" and their lives have been
memorialized in such American
classics as John Wayne's "True Grit"
and "Rooster Cogburn."

Fort Smith National Cemetery also reminds
us of the sacrifices of later generations.
General William O. Darby, the Fort Smith
native who helped found the modern Army
Rangers, is buried here, as are men who
died in the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and
in the Middle East.

The National Cemetery is located at the
intersection of Garland Avenue and 6th Street
in downtown Fort Smith. From Garrison
Avenue, just follow the brown signs. The
cemetery is open daily during daylight hours.