42 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
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Hackett, AR
· Local history
Hackett, Arkansas, a small town tucked into the western edge of the state near the Oklahoma border, doesn't often make national headlines. Yet, its location in the fertile Arkansas River Valley, where the Ozark…
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Jenson Tunnel
· 2.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Hold on tight – you're about to discover Oklahoma's one and only railroad tunnel! Back in 1885 and 1886, the Fort Smith & Southern Railway carved this tunnel through Backbone Mountain. At the time, this was Choctaw…
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Rock Island
· 4.0 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Rock Island, Oklahoma, right near the Arkansas border. This place started as Maney Junction, a key railroad crossing in the Choctaw Nation. In 1905, the post office opened, named Rock Island, likely…
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Pocola
· 5.4 mi · Eohc
Right here, near Pocola, you're passing through a place with a Civil War past. On September 1, 1863, the Union Army won a key victory at Devil's Backbone Mountain, just a stone's throw away. After the war, this area…
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James E. Reynolds House
· 7.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Look to your right – can you believe there's a castle tucked away in Oklahoma? This is the James E. Reynolds House, a unique landmark built back in 1911. James E. Reynolds, who lived from 1837 to 1920, decided to build…
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Cameron
· 8.0 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Le Flore County, past the town of Cameron. Ever wonder where this place got its name? Well, folks in the 1930s debated it! Some said it honored William Cameron, a mine inspector. Others, using…
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Greenwood, AR
· 9.0 mi
Greenwood, Arkansas, tucked into the rolling hills, is a place where small-town charm meets a surprising thread of notable figures. The town itself, named for the dense forests that once defined the landscape, rebuilt…
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Old Sebastian County Jail
· 9.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Those thick stone walls tell a story! The Old Sebastian County Jail in Greenwood offers a glimpse into law and order in this part of Arkansas over a century ago. Built between 1889 and 1891 by master mason Ike Kunkel,…
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Elmwood Cemetery (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
· 9.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder what happened to those who had nowhere else to go in Fort Smith's early days? Elmwood Cemetery, once the Poor Farm Cemetery, holds their stories. In 1890, Sebastian County purchased land for its first poor…
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Arkoma
· 10.1 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Arkoma, right on the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. This town owes its start to a Civil War veteran and Choctaw Nation intermarriage, Captain James Reynolds. He built a castle nearby and then, in 1911,…
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Camp Chaffee - Fort Chaffee
· 10.7 mi · Historical Marker
Military installation near Fort Smith where Elvis Presley received his famous Army haircut in 1958 and where thousands of Vietnamese and Cuban refugees were processed.
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Walker's Station
· 11.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine stagecoaches thundering through as you stand at this former stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. Walker's Station, named for Choctaw Chief Tandy Walker, was a vital stop on this route through Indian…
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Old Huntington Jail
· 11.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine being locked away in this small stone jail, built in 1888 to hold lawbreakers in a rough-and-tumble town. The Old Huntington Jail was built by the Kansas and Texas Coal Company, the very company that founded…
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Fort Coffee (town)
· 11.6 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Le Flore County, past the community of Fort Coffee. This place has a history stretching back to the Choctaw removal in 1832. But its name comes from a fort built in 1834, right here, to stop…
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Spiro Mounds
· 12.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a bustling city, not of brick and steel, but of earth and ritual, right here in Oklahoma. That's what Spiro Mounds once was. Between the 900s and 1450s, the Caddoan people built this complex as a major religious…
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Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center
· 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
One of the most important pre-Columbian archaeological sites in North America, Spiro was a major political and religious center of the Mississippian culture from 800 to 1450 AD.
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Brumley, Albert Edward
· 12.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, maybe near Spiro, and you're hearing a song that's become a worldwide anthem: "I'll Fly Away." What you might not know is that this gospel standard was penned right here, by…
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Le Flore County
· 12.5 mi · Eohc
Right here in Le Flore County, you're driving through a landscape shaped by ancient cultures and dramatic history. Long before Oklahoma was a state, this was a center for the Mississippian Culture. You're near the Spiro…
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Spiro
· 12.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Spiro, Oklahoma, a town whose very existence is thanks to a railroad. Back in the 1800s, the nearby town of Skullyville was the hub, serving as a Choctaw capital and a place where federal…
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Fort Coffee (fort)
· 12.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Le Flore County, not far from Spiro. Right here, you're passing the site of Fort Coffee. Established in 1834, its mission was twofold: protect the Choctaw people and stop illegal liquor from…
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Oak Cemetery
· 12.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time as we approach Oak Cemetery, Fort Smith's oldest graveyard, where the city's history rests beneath your tires. Founded in 1853, Oak Cemetery became the final resting place for many of Fort Smith's…
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Central City, AR
· 12.8 mi
Central City, Arkansas, sits nestled near the western edge of the state, not far from the Oklahoma border. The town itself may be small, but its reach extends far beyond its geographic boundaries, thanks in part to some…
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Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center
· 13.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This unassuming landscape holds stories of war, displacement, and new beginnings. During World War II, Fort Chaffee, then Camp Chaffee, housed thousands of German and Italian prisoners of war. Later, in 1975, after the…
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Fort Smith National Cemetery
· 13.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wondered about the untold stories beneath your feet? Here, in Fort Smith National Cemetery, silent rows of headstones whisper tales of courage and sacrifice, a profound testament to the lives that shaped this land.…
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Judge Isaac C. Parker Federal Building
· 13.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here – this is where justice met the Wild West. The Judge Isaac C. Parker Federal Building stands where the legendary "hanging judge" Isaac Parker once held court. From 1875 to 1896, Judge Parker presided over…
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New Theatre (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
· 13.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine stepping back in time to the golden age of entertainment! Fort Smith's New Theatre, built in 1911, was once the hottest ticket in town. Modeled after the grand New Amsterdam Theatre in New York, this Beaux Arts…
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Maumelle Ordnance Works Locomotive 1
· 13.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This unassuming locomotive played a vital role in fueling America's WWII effort. Built in 1942, Maumelle Ordnance Works Locomotive 1 was built by Vulcan Iron Works for the U.S. War Department. Its job was to haul…
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Birney Safety Streetcar No. 224
· 13.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Hop aboard a piece of Fort Smith history – this is Birney Safety Streetcar No. 224! Built in 1926, this streetcar was a vital part of the city's transportation network. It's a type of streetcar called a Birney "Safety…
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Fort Smith Museum of History
· 13.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
These walls have seen Fort Smith transform from a rough-and-tumble frontier outpost to the city it is today. Built in 1906, this building started its life as the Atkinson-Williams Warehouse, a vital hub for commerce in…
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Fort Smith National Historic Site
· 13.9 mi · Historical Marker
Federal courthouse where Judge Isaac C. Parker, the 'Hanging Judge,' presided over Indian Territory justice from 1875 to 1896, sentencing 160 people to death.
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Fort Smith, AR
· 13.9 mi · Local history
Fort Smith, Arkansas, owes much of its early prosperity to its location at the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau Rivers. This strategic point, known as Belle Point, wasn't just a scenic overlook where duels once…
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Panama
· 14.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Panama, Oklahoma, a town that started as 'Red Town' because of its mining shacks. The real boom kicked off in 1896 when the railroad arrived. By 1903, the town had moved to the junction of two…
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Shady Point
· 15.1 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Shady Point, a town that boomed and busted with the coal industry. Originally named Harrison, the post office became Shady Point in 1894, right along the railroad. This place thrived as a shipping…
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Moffett
· 15.2 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Moffett, Oklahoma, a town with a reputation that once got it declared off-limits to military personnel. Back in the day, Moffett's drinking and gambling halls were so popular, they drew folks from…
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Roland
· 16.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Roland, Oklahoma, right now. This town didn't start with a bang, but with a railroad. In 1888, the Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railway laid tracks through this area, then part of the Cherokee…
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Wilhauf House
· 17.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here for a minute – you're looking at one of the oldest houses in Arkansas, a silent witness to nearly two centuries of change. Built around 1838, the Wilhauf House started as a simple log dogtrot, two cabins…
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Van Buren Historic District
· 17.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time as you enter the Van Buren Historic District, where echoes of bustling commerce still resonate! This eight-block area along Main Street was the heart of Van Buren, nestled perfectly between the…
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Bob Burns House
· 17.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Get ready to chuckle! This unassuming house was the childhood home of Bob Burns, a radio star who brought down-home humor to millions. The Burns family moved into this house at 821 Jefferson Street in Van Buren around…
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King Opera House
· 17.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine the echoes of applause and the rustle of velvet curtains – this spot, the King Opera House, was once the beating heart of Van Buren's entertainment scene. Built in the late 19th century, the King Opera House…
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Henry Clay Mills House
· 18.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a moment, because you're about to hear about a true American success story. This unassuming spot was once home to Henry Clay Mills, a man born into slavery who built his own house right here in Van Buren…
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Muldrow
· 18.2 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Muldrow, a town named for a man who never lived here. Henry Muldrow, the assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, lent his name to this community when the post office opened in…
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Van Buren, AR
· 19.0 mi
Van Buren, Arkansas, a town nestled on the Arkansas River, breathes history. Its strategic location, elevated above the valley floor, made it a crucial transportation point, a role that shaped its early development. The…