OFFICIAL SPONSOR VoL 11, No. 1, April, 1987 EDITOR: Amelia Martin ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Sarah Fitzjarrald McCullough CONSULTING EDITOR: Carolyn Pollan GUEST WRITERS: May Gray Ann M. Sims INDEXING: Sarah Fitzjarrald McCullough PROOFREADERS: VOL 11- NO- 1 APR|L, 1987 Staff Warren McCullough Fort Smith Historical Society Ten Years Old 2 BOARD AND OFFICERS: .... „ ~ . , , . , , , , . , , , , . ." What a Decade! 1976-198Q7C QQ6C 4 Joel 0Stubbtefield , nPresident Donald C. Peer, Vice President Mary Nell Euper, Recording Secretary Fmal Sebastian County, Arkansas Jo Tillery, Membership Secretary Sesquicentennial Event, Naturalization 15 Thelma Cousins, Correspondence Secretary Thelma Wray, Treasurer Poets and Poetry, Gretchen Youmans 20 Velma Barber Pat Birkett ln Loving Memory 21 Gilmer K. Dixon Christine Johnson Inquiries 24 Mary Lou Jacobsen Ben B. Johnston Genealogy News 25 Larry Larson Amelia Martin Letters from Readers ... 27 Bob McCann Sarah Fitzjarrald McCullough Arkansas 1836-1986, poem 28 Guy Nichols Elizabeth "Dibby" Reutzel News and Opportunities .... .29 Phil White Membership in the Fort Smith Historical Book Notes 32 Society includessubscriptionto The Journal Contents of Past ,ssues 35 of the Fort Smith Historical Society, which is published semi-annually. Year begins 1886.1887 Newspapers 36 January 1 and ends December 31. Formembership,senddueswithyourname Index 44 and mailing address to: The Fort Smith Historical Society, Inc. CQVER. Bj|| Hutcheson, Mike the Horse, and Phil White. c/o Fort Smith Public Library ph t b c , Copeland. Courtesy of Southwest Times Record. 61 South 8th Street Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901 ©Copyright 1987 ISSN 0736 4261 Types of memberships: By the Fort Smith Historical Society, Inc. Annual $ 10.00 c/o Fort Smith Public Library Annual Contributing 20.00 61 South 8th Street Annual Sustaining 50.00 Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901 Life (Individual) 100.00 Journal Back Issues ... Eachcopy 5.00 CHANGE OF ADDRESS: (For mail orders, add 750 mailing charge per copy.) Change of Address Cards are free at your post office. If you move, We welcome the loan of Fort Smith historical please fill one out and send it to: Fort Smith Historical Society, material and will return promptly. 61 South 8th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901. The Fort Smith Historical Society, Inc. is a ., .. ,... ... ,. , , , . , non-profit organization under Sec. 501 (c) No P°rtlon of thls Pub"catlon maV be reproduced in any form, except (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. for brief excerpts for review purposes, without the consent of the Gifts and legacies are deductible. Editors of The Journal. 1 Amelia Martin Ten years ago, on April 15, 1977, the Fort Smith After discussion, it was decided the Fort Smith Historical Society was formed to meet a long- organization should be separate and apart from the standing need for an organization with the specific South Sebastian County Historical Society with purpose of collecting, identifying, preserving and membership open to anyone who would like to join. publishing the written and oral history of the Fort "Fort Smith Historical Society" was chosen as the Smith area. name for the organization and The Journal of the The purposeof thisarticle is to briefly recountthe Fort Smith Historical Society as the name of its semi- history of the Society and tell about some upcoming annual publication. features in The Journal. Temporary officers chosen were: Carolyn Pollan, Many books and articles had been written about chairman; Fadjo Cravens, Jr., vice chairman; Thelma the fort built at the confluence of the Poteau and Wray, secretary-treasurer; Taylor Joyce, editor; Arkansas rivers, that was named Fort Smith, and the executive board, Chris Allen, Eloise Barksdale, town by the same name that grew around it, but this Gladys Krone, Bernice Cole and Amelia Martin. did not serve the purpose mentioned above, and Other organizational meetings were held, Articles much Fort Smith historical information was being of Incorporation were signed, a tax exempt status destroyed and lost forever as attics and storerooms secured, a logo designed, and on April 15, 1977, a were cleaned and old diaries, letters, ledgers, photographs, etc. were disposed of. final organizational meeting was held. Keenly aware of the need to preserve Fort Smith The following officers and executive board were history, eleven concerned persons met in the elected: Carolyn Pollan, president; Christine Allen, community room of the Fort Smith Public Library on vice president; Thelma Wray, secretary and treasurer; October 29, 1976, to discuss the possibility of Amelia Martin, corresponding secretary; Fadjo organizing a historical society in Fort Smith. Cravens, Jr., Robert Taylor, Bernice Cole, Violet Carolyn Pollan, acting as moderator, called the Burton and Taylor Joyce. meeting to order. Others in attendance were: Fadjo Other persons who have served as president of the Cravens, Jr., Amelia Martin, Chris Allen, Thelma Society are: Christine Allen, Phil Miller, Amelia Wray, Gladys Krone, Doris West, Taylor A. Joyce, Martin, C.B. "Pat" Porter, and Joel Stubblefield. Edwin P. Hicks, Eloise Barksdale and Violet Burton. In September, 1977, the first issue of The Journal Following a discussion of the need for protecting of the Fort Smith Historical Society was published written and oral history and for a Fort Smith with Carolyn Pollan and Amelia Martin co-editors. publication, followed. Means of financing and This issue was funded by contributions from the organizational procedures were also discussed, as organizers and a $1,000 donation from Public well as the possibility of joining forces with the Historical Restorations, Inc., with future issues to be South Sebastian County Historical Society. A financed from membership dues. A membership constitution and by-laws committee was appointed campaign was launched, and today the membership to submit a proposed constitution at a meeting set has grown to approximately 500 members. for Friday, November 19. Named to the committee In 1983, Sarah Fitzjarrald McCullough joined the were Taylor Joyce, chairman; Gladys Krone, Amelia Journal staff as associate editor. Martin and Fadjo Cravens, Jr. Through the combined efforts of FSHS members, At the second organizational meeting, others had dedicated rsearchers, writers and persons who have joined the original eleven. They were: Mrs. Byron shared historical materials and memories, The Dobbs, Bernice Cole, Mr. & Mrs. William Mikel, B.E. Journal is a publication we are proud to have Koschel, Hubert Curry and Sarah McCullough. represent Fort Smith. Mr. Curry and Mr. Koschel, from the South Through the years, The Journal and its writers Sebastian County Historical Society, discussed the have won a number of awards in local history history of that organization, the purpose forwhich it competition sponsored by the Arkansas Historical was formed and its projects. Association. As membership increases and more money for Dr. Lee Byrne, 1918-1920 printing is available, The Journal will be even larger C.J.Tidwell, 1920-1923 and better. You can increase the membership!! Give J.W. Ramsey, 1923-1954 memberships to friends and relatives — they are Chris Corbin, 1954-1971 welcome gifts that give pleasure for years to come. Dr. C.B. Garrison, 1971-1986 Dr. Benny Gooden, 1986- Show your Journalto family, friendsand neighbors. Encourage them to join. You are wondering about the picture on the cover As we begin our eleventh year of printing, of this issue of The Journal? This is a graphic portrayal of history made on February 24, 1987. remembering that today is tomorrow's history, in Bill Hutcheson, president of Hutcheson Shoe this issue we are featuring an overview of the past Company, is riding Mike the Horse, led by Phil ten years of history in Fort Smith, as well as our usual White, Mike's owner. features, including the 100-year-old news from the Hutcheson'sfather, William L. Hutcheson, founded newspapers of 1887. At another place in this issue, the shoe company in 1923 which was housed in we also include contents of past issues. Adelaide Hall on Garrison Avenue. In 1962, the The Journal, in the immediate future, will feature company began operating the shoe departments in the Federal Court of the Western District of all Wal-Mart stores (owned by Sam Walton of Arkansas and the Federal Judges; more school Bentonville, Arkansas, and said by some to be the histories and biographies of superintendents of Fort richest man in America). Smith schools; the docket of Fort Smith Justice of Hutcheson Shoe Company then merged with Wal- the Peace, Samuel Edmondson, 1860-1861; and Mart in 1978. Presently, Fort Smith is the head- much more. quarters and national distribution center for all Readers, here is another chance for you to help shoes sold in Wal-Mart stores. your editors. If you have biographical information Bill Hutcheson promised associates in the Wal- about any of the Federal judges or school super- Mart shoe department that if they exceeded sales intendents, please let us know by mailing the goals set for 1986 that he would trot "Godiva-like" information to us at the Fort Smith Public Library, 65 down the main street of Fort Smith. South 8th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901. It will Wal-Mart stores sold the shoes and here Hutcheson, donned in pink tights and blond wig, is enrich the material we already have. taking his ride on the trusty Clydesdale, much to the The Judges Are: delight of Wal-Mart associates and other local Benjamin Johnson, 1836-1849 citizens, and to the pleasure of the Chaffin Junior Daniel Ringo, 1849-1861 High School Band which accompanied the whole William Story, 1871-1874 stunt. Isaac C. Parker, 1875-1896 Mike is also pressed into service during the warm John H. Rogers, 1896-1911 summer months to furnish carriage rides to citizens Frank A. Youmans, 1911-1932 and tourists. Heartsill Ragon, 1933-1940 Phil White is on the board of directors of The Fort Smith Historical Society, and some of his accom- John E.