Day 4 Ft. Smith AR to MO to KS to OK

From West Memphis AR, I- 40 west was completely flat farm land from the Miss. River for about the 1st hour . We couldn't figure out what the crops were. We did watch a cropdusting plane make his runs over the fields.

Fort Smith AR. was one of the 1st western forts on the frontier. It mostly served as a supply depot for the Army

and later as an admin. & supply base for the Indian tribes moving into Oklahoma

The Fort was the central location for all the tribes on the Trail Of Tears to meet for supplies and to be assigned land in Indian Country.

The Fort was also the Federal Court for the entire Southwest Territory.

Judge Issac Parker was appointed to settle disputes between the tribes and

control the outlaw gangs in the Indian Country.

The new courthouse was built with a jail below for all the outlaws.

Judge Parker had sentenced so many to the gallows , he was known as the famous hanging judge.

We went through this surprising tunnel on the way north through the western edge of the Ozarks. We stopped at Pea Ridge CW battlefield & got stamps & watched a good orientation film. It was @ 100 F so we passed on the driving tour ( so didn't take any pictures) & headed to...,

George Washington Carver Birthplace in MO. - we had just enough time to see the museum before they closed, but had a great chat with NPS ranger Brandi Shores. She told us to get off at exit 1 on I -44 and head west...

so we drove about a 1/2 mile to Kansas.

We took the pic, went up about 1/4 mile to turn around and then back into MO. for about 1 mile on I-44 South to..

So in about 10 minutes we went from MO to KS to MO to OK. We drove west through the night from OKLA City on I-40 passing and smelling quite a few oil wells with the derricks lit up, some were right along the road.