Fort Smith Park to Officially Open Aug. 2

ST. JOSEPH, MO — The Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee of St. Joseph will host a grand opening of Fort Smith Park, a newly discovered and developed Civil War related, passive park in St. Joseph, at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2. The event will include a welcome and introductions from Joe Houts, Jr., Chairman of the St. Joseph Civil War Committee, a welcome by Mayor Bill Faulkner, a brief history and background of the project by Bill McKinney of the St. Joseph Parks Department; Sarah Elder and Robert Ford of the St. Joseph Civil War Committee and a ribbon cutting, officially opening the Park to the public. Fort Smith, named after Colonel Robert F. Smith, was erected in late September 1861 as a safeguard against conflicting armies battling on either side of the state line. With the strong possibility of battles reaching St. Joseph, Colonel Smith stood ready with his 2,500 troops and 12 cannon poised atop the newly created fortification on Prospect Hill. However the conflict was averted and by the spring of 1862, the Union troops at Fort Smith were downsized. The fort was re-discovered in 2003.