Fort Smith served as the federal court for the Western District of Arkansas, which included the Indian Territory — a region where Bass Reeves, the first Black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi, served for over 30 years. Reeves arrested over 3,000 felons and shot 14 men in self-defense without ever being wounded. Many scholars believe Reeves was the inspiration for the Lone Ranger. The site preserves Judge Isaac Parker's courtroom and the infamous frontier gallows.