H.H., Female, Age 20

Exhibit: Restraints

Inmates were let out occasionally on the weekend as a reward for good behavior. Being in jail, of course, provided a need for female companionship when they were let out. Prostitution became a promising business for many young women. The men, being lonely and far from their families, often did not treat the young women in an honorable fashion. No females are mentioned by name, but there was one informational panel that gave an overview of the prostitution situation.

Exhibit: Jail Hospital Cell

Initially, female and male prisoners alike were housed in the same quarters. As Fort Smith started growing, however, they moved the women to the jail hospital on the second floor. Additionally, only a few female criminals are mentioned by name at any point in the museum. One informational panel in the back corner of the second floor discusses the general treatment of women during their time of incarceration. They were given tasks to do that generally were deemed “ladies work” such as mending blankets and clothing (for the men, of course) and cooking. This treatment might seem fair to some; after all, doing work could be punishment for the incarcerated. Compared, though, to the men that did nothing except live in the jail, the treatment is unequal.

Exhibit Detail: Judge Parker's Courtroom

The judges were all men. The lawyers were all men. The female inmates were raped by male guards. Were the guards found guilty? Of course not. Record book after record book recounts trials where cases involving only men were judged fairly, with equal weight given to both sides. The women, though, had almost no credibility, making it difficult to go to trial against a man. Additonally, any women noted as working for the government is named and immediately after, her relation to a man is given, with no credit given to the work she did (although the women were often secretaries). The mens’ descriptions give an account of their job and maybe a notable case they were involved in. This lopsided recounting of history gives the present generation the impression that women were not present in the “Wild West” days of Fort Smith, when that’s simply not the case.

Comments

A.R., Female, Age 24

Exhibit: Fort Smith in Fact and Fiction These posters are one of the first things you see when walking into the museum. I find it interesting that between the two there is only one woman pictured and she is sexualized. Both of these movies came out in the late 60’s. When the movies were produced they had the option to give women a story as well, but from the look of these posters I would say they did not. Exhibit: Women Behind Bars Near the very back of the museum they had this exhibit “Women Behind Bars.” I completely looked over this exhibit at first. If you notice at the top of it is a picture of a group of men. I noticed the men and just assumed that’s what the entire article was over until I went back and actually read the entire thing. Exhibit: Lady Desperado All of the women that are in the exhibits who are named are named because they are criminals. Each one who is named their brother and father are also named. This exhibit is about Belle Starr. It

DS, Male, Age 24

Exhibit: Domestic Life at Fort Smith When observing the exhibits at the National Historic Site, they show how most of the political establishments and arrangements where created by men with little involvement from women. The exhibits in regards to politics where mostly pictures and summaries of men, with a very few exceptions like Florence Hammersly being a deputy clerk. When it comes to the focus of women in the exhibits, I feel like it was mainly based of domestication. A good example of this is the exhibit "Domestic Life at Fort Smith", where it focuses on the lives of the wife's of political leaders in Fort Smith. Exhibit: Music Class I think this photo is relevant to the idea of women being seen in more of a domesticated role during this time. In my opinion, this photo of Chickasaw girls at Bloomfield Academy in a music class shows how women were even educated in more domesticated roles like the arts, instead of politics. Exhibit: Women

DN, Female, Age 19

Exhibit: Photo of Bonneville House This beautiful house is a very interesting place that hold history within itself. This house has different owners, but the latest owner was a woman. Even with changes, this place still holds a sense of fanciness and historical. Many years ago, the latest owner of this place was a well-known person. According to the Fort Smith National Historic Site, this was the place where many formal parties were being held. I personally passed through this house many times, and yet the sight of this place still got my attention. Exhibit: Photo of Clayton House This is the famous Clayton House in Fort Smith. When I first saw this picture of the Clayton House, I was not much surprise. In fact, this gorgeous place is up for rent for many different occasions and is still well-known today. The Clayton House was own by one of the most famous people in Fort Smith. Even though there is not much history about this place related to women, however, because

Infinitely Obscure Lives: Invisibility of Women in a U.S. Historic Site

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