The first hint that you’ve arrived at your destination, if you’ve come to visit the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas might be the horse and rider that seem to stand watch over the building, sandwiched between the river and the road. There is no readily visible signage to identify it.
The museum heralds a distinctive future for an Old West town that is forging a new chapter in the history of Middle America. Fort Smith was chosen as the site of the U.S. Marshals Museum because the nation’s oldest law enforcement agency considers it “sacred ground.” More U.S. Marshals lost their lives riding out of Fort Smith than from any other site in the country.
Established in 1817 as a frontier military post at a place along the river known as Belle Point, but the military abandoned it in 1824 after the U.S. signed a peace treaty with native Indian tribes. Tensions ran high and conflict resumed, however, due to the Indian Removal Act passed during the subsequent term of President Andrew Jackson.
That forced migration of thousands from tribal lands east of the Mississippi to Indian Territory west of the Arkansas River, known as the Trail of Tears, coupled with continued westward expansion, led to the establishment of a second Fort Smith in 1838. In 1842, a community grew grew up around the fort, and incorporated as the city of Fort Smith.
The West, in those times, was a lawless and untamed region. In 1871, Fort Smith became the site of the federal court for the western district of Arkansas. Isaac C. Parker assumed his duties as federal judge in March of 1875. Judge Parker, who became known as the “hanging judge,” and the marshals assigned there were instrumental in “taming the West.”
A Star on the Frontier
The U.S. Marshals Museum, opened in 2023, tells the story of the little-known branch of government service, and of the band of legendary men and women charged with
“keeping the peace and carrying out justice” in the United States.
If most of what you know about U.S. Marshals has been gleaned from television and movies, visiting this museum is like an American history refresher course. It also provides a deep dive into the reality of this government force that remains little known.
The Office of U.S. Marshals was established in 1789 and continues to act as a primary peacekeeping force. But marshals are unlike other law enforcement officers.
Initially, marshals were charged to support the federal courts within their district, including “the judges, Congress, or the president.” In addition to apprehending lawbreakers and bringing them to trial, they kept courtrooms tidy, assured that suspects and witnesses appeared at trials, and sometimes even fetched coffee for the jurors. They originally kept their own records in handwritten ledgers and submitted invoices for the specific duties they performed.
Thinking Federally and Locally
Today marshals work closely with local law enforcement, but they seldom investigate crimes. It is their duty to enforce federal laws, but not at the expense of community order. Marshals are considered “civilian enforcers” of federal laws, and they are called upon to balance the needs, concerns, and political wishes of local citizens and governments with their duties to the federal government.
If those are in conflict, the president, on behalf of the government, has the power to call in the military. President Washington mobilized troops to put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1791. Twice in 1963, President John F. Kennedy federalized National Guard troops to accomplish the desegregation of both the University of Alabama and Tuskegee High School. Governor George Wallace originally resisted orders to allow black students to enter.
Although marshals were assigned to accompany black students to their classrooms, it was feared that protesters might be present in such numbers that they could overpower the “peacekeeping” force. When armed National Guard troops appeared at each location, the situation was quickly and effectively defused.
Typically, Marshals do what is necessary to uphold the law: they serve warrants, transport criminals, and attempt to keep the peace during times of civil unrest and national disasters.
Approved by Presidents
Authorized by an Act of Congress at the very birth of the nation, there were originally 16 judicial districts. In September 1789, six days after President Washington had signed the Act into law, he approved the commissions of the first 13 marshals.
There are now 94 judicial districts, including at least one in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands. Today, there are 3,858 Deputy U.S. Marshals and criminal investigators, along with 1,570 administrative employees and detention enforcement officers.
The list of duties and services performed by U.S. Marshals is long and diverse, ranging from fugitive arrests, asset forfeitures, prisoner operations, judicial security measures, and administrative duties. Marshals provide escort security for Air Force Minuteman missile convoys, law enforcement for the United States Antarctic Program, and protection for the National Strategic Stockpile.
The service administers the Witness Protection Program and provides many types of security and enforcement services throughout the nation.
One day, marshals may actually be in space. Astronaut Jim Reilly, who is one of seven honorary U.S. Deputy Marshals, carried his badge with him during a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station in 2001.
Community Leaders to Political Favorites
Most of the initial marshals were respected members of their local communities. Some had fought in the revolution. Many were simple farmers or tradesmen. Few had law enforcement experience. They helped establish a national judicial system and supported the newly-formed federal government.
That first generation of marshals appointed by Washington set a number of precedents that have been followed for more than 200 years. Most were prominent in their communities, with strong political connections. Consequently, according to history, many marshals lost their jobs when another party came to power.
Marshals were then and are still appointed by the President at the beginning of each presidential term. The United States Congress confirms each appointment. Marshals serve renewable four-year terms, with the authority to name deputies and support personnel. Originally, there were no limits on the number of deputies, and virtually no training was offered.
That changed when the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) was established in 1969 to provide “guidance and assistance” to the U.S Marshals in all judicial districts. Now, a centralized agency handles the hiring and training of deputies and support personnel for all districts, with recommendations and from each marshal.
Separating Fact from Fiction
The romantic version of an Old West where the good guys triumphed over evil through grit and determination still colors the story of the U.S. Marshals. Matt Dillon, Wyatt Earp and his two brothers, Rooster Cogburn, Bat Masterson, and Wild Bill Hickok are some of the better known names. Most had chequered pasts.
Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves, who was born a slave to a white owner in Arkansas in 1838, ran away to Indian territory during the Civil War and learned all five native languages, a skill that served him well when he later became a deputy marshal and dealt with disputes in Indian Territory. During 35 years as a law enforcement officer, Reeves reportedly made 4,000 arrests.
Contemporary marshals may be less flamboyant, but their stories are every bit as fascinating.
Visiting the Marshals Museum can be an emotional experience. It sheds new light on integration battles, the occupation of Alcatraz, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the standoff at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and other major news events. More recently, U.S. Marshals were called to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Women in the Marshals Service
I was first drawn to the museum for a lecture about female marshals in the Old West. There I learned that the records of female marshals are spotty, at best. The service of women marshals, especially in western territories during the early years, has not been well documented. Some women served as court clerks before being named deputies, while others were related to the men who served as marshals.
Among the better-known women on the frontier was Phoebe Couzins, the first woman to graduate from law school in the U.S. She first served as a deputy, appointed by her father. Upon his death, President Grover Cleveland appointed her to an interim term as marshal. Two months later, however, a man replaced her.
Other women made names for themselves as deputies in the Indian territories, among them Florence M. Miller, who was the first to serve in such a position, and Flossie Hitchcock, who kept a detailed journal of her time in service.
The exploits of some men who served as marshals in the Old West are legendary because their stories were told and embellished by the women in their lives.
Change is in the Air
More recently, Stacia Hylton, who had served with the agency for 30 years, was named the first female director 2011. In 2013, then-President Barack Obama named Louise Kelton, another veteran with the Marshals Service, as the second black woman to serve as a marshal. Today, she is one of five female black marshals.
In 2022, the U.S. Marshals Service became the first federal law enforcement agency to sign the 30×30 Pledge, a nationwide initiative to advance women in policing. Director Ronald Davis noted that the agency is committed to building a “diverse and inclusive workforce” to better respond to diverse community needs.
Behind the Badge
The first national identification, a large badge with an eagle at the top, was in use from 1941 through 1970. Today, the official badge is smaller and simpler, a five-pointed star within a ring that proclaims “United States Marshal.” It is gold for marshals, and silver for deputies.
The museum itself pays tribute to the symbol of the marshals. From above, you’ll see that the museum looks like a five-pointed star.
The Museum: Better than a Classroom
At the Fort Smith museum, facts are interwoven with the personalities of some of the better-known marshals and deputies. Visitors make their way through galleries, each with a distinctive character and focus. Together, they touch on the Constitution, the rule of law, and civic literacy.
The first gallery — To Be a Marshal — outlines the marshal’s role and gives a concise history of the service. The gallery also dedicates exhibits to Frontier Marshals, Marshals in a Changing Nation, and Modern Marshals. The final gallery — my favorite — is The Campfire: Stories Under the Stars.
Positioned at the heart of the museum, this gallery features a group of figures seated around a campfire. Moments in the history of the marshals service flare and fade as shadowy, sometimes dramatic, images in the background. There are benches, allowing visitors to hear different stories as they circulate through the five galleries at their own pace.
The stories of frontier clashes, civil rights struggles, organized protests, and the collapse of the twin towers in New York are mesmerizing. The horrors of a violent world seemed all too real. I couldn’t resist returning to this simple exhibit again and again during my museum visit.
Powerful Displays Invite Lingering
Other galleries feature interactive and immersive displays, with larger than life panels of recognizable events, places and times. Some invite quiet contemplation of both historic and contemporary events.
Some prompt tears or inspire awe. A case filled with confiscated jewelry, watches and coins might elicit a gasp.
There are also artifacts to view, with more than 2,000 pieces in the museum’s collection. Rotating displays feature firearms, helmets, jackets and vests worn, weapons carried by the marshals at some of the news events we cannot forget.
Some galleries are simply fun. Ask the virtual bartender at the saloon for a sarsaparilla and then listen to his stories about gunfights and gunfighters. A protective plexiglass case just outside the saloon displays John Wayne’s silver-adorned parade saddle.
The Wall of Tribute
The final area at the museum is a stark reminder that the job of a marshal is not without risk. Read the names of the more than 350 individuals who lost their lives serving the country as U.S marshals. The wall is the room’s focal point.
U.S. Marshals were among the first responders at the World Trade Center in New York, at the Pentagon in Washington, and at the airline crash site in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. No marshals died at there, although they assisted with evacuation and rescue efforts at all three locations, no marshals died. Sadly, however, more than 70 law enforcement officers perished when the two towers collapsed.
A piece of twisted steel from the destroyed New York towers is a graphic reminder to visitors that marshals are likely to be present wherever and wherever the country is threatened.
Adrienne blogs at: Good Food and Faraway Places and Right Off Main
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