We are talking about a “man-trip” here with my friend, Ken Martin from Bartlesville. If you follow my antics, then you probably heard me speak of Ken as the Bison Hunter. He has been very prolific in photographing the bison on the Tall Grass Prarie near his home and has a stunning collection of these beautiful American mammals in all four seasons. I’ve always admired Ken’s dedication and perseverance in capturing bison in this habitat thought-out the years creating a historial documentation of the herd.

I’ve had so many health issues lately related to a recent diagnosis that persoanl time with my dear friends enjoying my passion has taken a priority. Ken suggested sending a few days together just shooting somewhere and we both settled on Fort Smith, Arkansas. It’s about three hours from each of us and there is plenty of attractions to fit anyone’s taste. If you are planning a trip there, or anywhere in Arkansas, I would suggest checking out the Discover Arkansas wesbite first and then plan your roadtrip with Roadtrippers.com. The last link is a favorote for the Travelling Trawicks with Ruby the Subie or hitting the backroads of American on your BMW motorcycles.

Let me start but saying how surpirsed I was during this visit to Fort Smith. I’ve visited the city several times while photographing the newly opened Bricktown Brewery and events with the local Bedford Camera & Video store (closed recently). But I had no idea of all the history and importance of the area to american history, the native american culture and the westward expansion of the US. Luckily, Ken is a Cherokee and well versed history expert with a focus on the Civil War. It was like having my very own tour guide and I can’t explain how much I learned and enjoyed him explaining the details of all the history involved in the area. If you want to have an experience in Fort Smith, I would highly suggest reaching out to Ken before making your plans. You might even suggest him tagging along as the story telling skills in person are unique and enternainting.

I won’t go into all the details of what I learned during those three days, but here are the highlights of the places we visited. Of course, below are a few sample images from the trip and you can see the rest on my Flickr feed online. I’m sure Ken will post his as well on his account very soon.

Fort Smith National Historic Site

Fort Chaffee Historical Site

Fort Smith Trolly Museum

Elvis Presley’s first Army Haircut

Fort Chaffee Vietnam Veteran’s Museum

US Marshal Museum (not open at the moment)

Spiro Mounds Archaeological Site