Fort Smith Historic Site, Arts Center Commemorating Louisiana Purchase with Events This Week

FORT SMITH (April 21, 2003) – The Fort Smith National Historic Site and Fort Smith Arts Center today kicked off a week of programs to commemorate Arkansas’s pivotal role in the Louisiana Purchase.

The Fort Smith National Historic Site and Fort Smith Arts Center are also official sites where the collectible Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial “passport,” unveiled April 18 by Secretary of State Charlie Daniels, is being distributed. The passport is a way to encourage Arkansans to travel the state and enjoy the many events planned to celebrate the Louisiana Purchase.

“The passport offers Arkansas families a unique opportunity to explore the state, enjoy its natural wonders and celebrate the historical significance of Arkansas’s role in the Louisiana Purchase,” said Ann Clements, project director of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial of Arkansas.

Travelers can get their passports and stamps at events planned at Fort Smith National Historic Site and Fort Smith Arts Center. Upcoming events include:

• A “living history” weekend April 25-26 at Fort Smith National Historic Site.
• A reception for the Charles Banks Wilson art exhibit 5-8 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Fort Smith Arts Center.

The public can call (479) 782-7177 for more information about these events.

The Fort Smith National Historic Site and Fort Smith Arts Center are two of 28 “must-see” destinations around the state, each with special events planned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. Once a traveler has his passport, he can get it stamped at each of the 28 sites, making the passport a souvenir keepsake. “The passport will make a great memento of your travels,” said Clements.

Passport sites are located in each region of the state. In the state’s capital city, passports and stamps are available at the Arkansas State Capitol, Cox Creative Center, Historic Arkansas Museum, the Old State House Museum and the Museum of Discovery. Passports and stamps are also available at these sites around the state:

• Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park in Scott
• Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park Visitor Center in Scott
• Arkansas Post National Memorial in Gillett
• Arkansas Post Museum in Gillett
• Central Delta Historical Society Depot and Museum in Brinkley
• Clarendon Welcome Center
• White River National Wildlife Refuge in DeWitt
• Delta Cultural Center in Helena
• Lake Chicot State Park in Lake Village
• Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park near Brinkley
• City of Marianna
• Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources in Smackover
• Hot Springs National Park
• Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville
• Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale
• Rogers Historical Museum
• Parkin Archeological State Park
• Old Independence Regional Museum in Batesville
• Village Creek State Park near Wynne
• Old Davidsonville State Park near Pocahontas
• Powhatan Courthouse State Park

Travelers should contact the individual site for specific information regarding the site’s Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial events.

“All the partners have brought such enthusiasm to celebrating the Purchase by planning special events throughout the year,” said Clements. “Museums are displaying exhibits and hosting lectures; several state parks are re-enacting period activities; and several communities are sponsoring festivals.” A complete listing of events and site contact information can be found at www.lapurchase.org.

The Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial of Arkansas
The Secretary of State’s Office is the official coordinator of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial of Arkansas. A committee of state and federal agencies, communities and associations is coordinating the various efforts to plan and implement the yearlong celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Secretary of State Charlie Daniels chairs the project; former Secretary of State Sharon Priest is chair emeritus; and former U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers is honorary chairman.

The Louisiana Purchase and Arkansas’s Role
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson finalized the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the United States. The acquisition included 830,000 square miles of unmapped wilderness.

A survey of the new land began in 1815 in East Arkansas. The initial point of the survey (where the baseline and meridian cross) is located in a swamp at the corner of Lee, Phillips and Monroe counties. It is from this point that all land in the Louisiana Purchase was mapped – every legal description of the land west of the Mississippi depended on measurements taken from this point. Prospect K. Robbins and Joseph C. Brown conducted those surveys.

This starting point for the surveyors who explored and mapped the frontier is now the Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park, where visitors can walk along a boardwalk through the swamp and experience the sites and sounds of the wilderness, much like the original surveyors did.