HRA Conference - United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas 9/27/2024

The United States Marshals Museum opened in Fort Smith, Arkansas on July 1, 2023. The star-shaped, iconic structure is in a scene setting along the Arkansas River, where many deputies in the Old West crossed and forded. The wide-ranging exhibits are divided into educational sections: "A Changing Nation", "Frontier Marshals", "To Be A Marshal", and "Modern Marshals". Mix of traditional exhibits and interactive technology smoothly flow throughout the experience. The themes all flow from a central hub, "The Campfire,” which features four different time-themed deputies telling their accounts of service. The finished 53,000 square-foot museum also contains temporary exhibit space, an atrium, café, gift shop, and offices. Further plans for an educational and archival center are underway.

In determining our long journey to the completion of the USMM, a recounting can show the development.

Laramie, Wyoming was the home of the National United States Marshals Museum formerly known as the "America's Star" traveling exhibit, to commemorate its 200-year history, it traveled to 13 different cities in the United States for two-and-a-half years.

When our Bicentennial celebration came to a close in 1991, the United States Marshal Service was looking for a permanent home for the exhibit and other items and artifacts. A committee was formed to explore the possibilities. There were several cities that expressed interested in hosting the museum: Washington D.C., St. Louis, Missouri, Fort Smith, Arkansas and Laramie, Wyoming.

The museum was located in Laramie, Wyoming, in the lower level of the Wyoming Territorial Park's theater.

The museum featured an impressive array of artifacts, some of them dating back over 200 years. One of the more popular displays was "The Gunman: Romance and Reality", which showcased Hollywood's perception of the West through a series of short clips of Western movies. Artifacts from the other displays included a large collection of U.S. Marshal badges, arrest warrants of notorious outlaws and a stunning collection of seized jewelry by the U.S. Marshals.

As of January 2003, the museum was closed and was placed in storage. The U.S. Marshals Service began the process of finding a new site.

On June 29, 2023, the United States Marshals Museum held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting with Director Ronald L. Davis joining Arkansas officials and major stakeholders. Starting on July 1, the public can see the full experience.

Set on the banks of the Arkansas River, the U.S. Marshals Museum is housed in an innovative facility named the Mary Carleton and Robert A. Young III Building. The Museum features a unique exterior with a modified star-shaped design signifying the star badge worn by courageous U.S. Marshals. Inside, five immersive galleries educate guests about the critical, ever-evolving role the Marshals have played in upholding the Rule of Law, driven by justice, integrity and service. The Museum’s National Learning Center combines the Museum experience with educational programming focused on the Constitution, the Rule of Law and civic literacy. Guests will get to pay tribute to the more than 350+ Marshals killed in the line of duty since 1789 by visiting the Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor.

Upon arrival, everyone gathered in a meeting room where we had a late lunch provided by a local catering company featuring pulled pork sandwiches with potato salad, chips and bottled water, after which we were free to explore the museum.

In the first gallery, you will be led to understand the role of a Marshal, how the agency was founded, its principles and duties, and a broad overview of its history. You'll explore a high-level timeline of the history of the Marshals, beginning with the inception of their role in the Judiciary Act of 1789 and continuing to the vital work of the Service today. Set into the timeline, a series of interactive exhibits will uncover the different types of work for which the U.S. Marshals are responsible, from supporting the courts to protecting witnesses, and from tracking down fugitives to managing operations for disaster relief.

As an introduction, a short video called "What is a Marshal" was shown.

What is a U.S Marshal?

A United States Marshal timeline.

The "Other Duties" Agency. The Judiciary Act of 1789 defines the job of the US Marshals very broadly. This allows the government to use the U.S. Marshals Service in many ways, some of them surprising.

The Marshal Mindset - Creativity, Flexibility and Humanity.

What is a frontier?

Frontier Marshals.

Early pioneers of America.

First Lawmen Robert Forsyth and Charles Wilson Peale.

The Rolling Frontier.

Union dissolved.

The Tragedy at Goingsnake.

An early US Marshal.

Goingsnake written into history.

The Western District of Arkansas and Crisis of Corruption.

The Pursuit of Ned Christie.

Frontier Marshals: Tactics and Technologies.

U.S. Marshals Office Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Bass Reeves 1838-1910 - A Legendary Marshal; Outwitting Outlaws, Bass On Trial, Doing His Duty.

Weapons of the Old West.

Weapons of the old west display.

Morse Code Alphabet.

Instructions issued by the U.S. Marshals Office in Fort Smith, Arkansas 1870's.

Fees for US Marshals and Deputies. No fee collected for a suspect killed during apprehension.

Deputies of the Western District.

Map of Indian and Oklahoma Territories 1892.

The weapons of Bass Reeves.

Bass Reeves' saddle.

Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws - The Five Guardsman of Oklahoma.

Sunset on The Frontier.

Lawmen to the Last/The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws.

A corner business.

The Three Guardsman and the Doolin Gang.

Murray's Saloon, Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory.

Heck Bruner.

A very nice oil painting.

Custer's Last Fight.

An early Marshal

Old West bar with a modern touch of surveillance of outlaws by the US Marshals.

Perspective map of Fort Smith, Arkansas dated 1887.

Another young Marshal.

The Henry Brown Gang/Outlaws and Gray Hats.

A peaceful painting.

Frontier Marshals in Popular Culture.

Actors who played Marshals.

An old upright piano.

A gaming table.

Stories Under The Star. Positioned as a central hub in the Museum, the Campfire will provide the stage and setting where storied moments of marshal history will be presented. On an elevated dias at the center of the room, a group of four figures from different eras sit around a flickering campfire. Shadowy images shift and play across the walls of the space, as storied moments of marshal history flare briefly to life and then fade away in media, and voices float in with scraps and fragments of tales and memories of Marshals' lives and achievements. You’ll want to pause and sit a while, listening and watching as the stories play out and the mood of the space changes. As you continue on your journey through the Museum, you will return to the Campfire area, discovering new stories each time you visit.

As you leave the frontier, you'll enter a more formal, pillar framed gallery themed with the idea that Marshals are bound by duty to uphold the law, however ideologically distant they are from the Marshal’s own beliefs. A series of portals will lead to three rooms, each focused on a specific broad area of challenge within this duty. In the final portal, you’ll step into the Marshals Challenge in which you’ll journey into the ever-changing, complicated work of the Marshals Service. You'll examine the role of the Marshals during the struggle for civil rights in America and their involvement in integration and the protection of justice for all. Scenes and exhibits will also acquaint you with how the Marshals have played a central role during turbulence such as Prohibition, violent white supremacists protestations, riots, bombings, and natural disasters.

A Changing Nation.

In this room, a short video is shown and by pressing buttons in front of one, the audience can choose what action to take.

Protecting Justice For All.

Enforcing The Rule of Law.

Bound by Duty.

Maintaining Order.

Marshals Challenge.

Line of Duty deaths.

The U.S. Marshals swear to uphold, protect, and enforce the Constitution and our federal laws - no matter the personal cost, no matter if they feel the laws are unjust or unpopular.

Attacks on US Soil: 9/11 On The Ground and 9/11 In The Air.

Natural disasters.

Hurricane Katrina.

D.C. 1968.

Tubes, Radios and Sets.

Riots - Sorry We're Closed.

Trail of Broken Treaties - Wounded Knee Incident.

Native American Protests.

Anti-Military Protests.

Tocks Island Healthcare for Coal Miners.

Pullman Train Strikes, Pittston Coal, Fair Play for Pullman Workers, Stop the Trains, Solidarity! On Strike and Healthcare for Coal Miners.

The Occupation of Alcatraz/BIA takeover.

Maintaining Order.

Items related to the Oklahoma City bombing trail.

Federal Execution.

High Profile Trial.

Terror - Oklahoma City car bomb kills at least 31.

The Bundys.

The Browns.

The Sweeneys.

Homegrown Threats.

The Y Area of Ruby Ridge.

Rifle and Night-Vision Binoculars used at Ruby Ridge.

A Deadly Confrontation/Consequences of A Siege.

A Warrant for Randy Weaver.

Ruby Ridge, Idaho.

The Aftermath and the Lessons.

The Manhunt.

The Incident, The Shootout, The Suspect.

Hannisville Whiskey - Liquor Means Alcohol/Alcohol Means Poison.

Prohibition - US Marshals During the Prohibition Era.

Neutrality Act map.

Neutrality Act and its Challenges.

A young US Marshal.

United States soldiers.

United States soldiers.

President Chester Aurthur.

Whiskey Rebellion - America's history of tax protests came before the nation's founding, as shown by the Boston Tea Party. In 1791, a new fight was ready to break out when Congress passed a tax on whiskey. It raised money the new nation desperately needed.

Grain farmers and small distillers hated the new tax. On September 6, 1791, Tax Collector Robert Johnson arrived in Pittsburgh. Angry farmers tarred and feathered Johnson. The Whiskey Rebellion had begun.

For three years, Whiskey Rebels attacked tax collectors and supporters. Their attacks grew more bold and violent. U.S. Marshal David Lenox traveled to western Pennsylvania to serve federal court papers to tax-dodging distillers. Five hundred rebels captured him and a tax inspector. They managed to escape but President Washington was alarmed by how big the rebellion had become.

Washington wasted no time. He marched towards Pennsylvania with 13,000 militiamen. The Whiskey Rebellion collapsed. Lenox himself arrested eighteen of the leaders and brought them to trial. The first big test of federal authority was over.

Illegal Prohibition.

Liquor store.

Death and Taxes.

Protecting Justice for All.

Women's Suffrage Susan B. Anthony.

Mr. President "How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty?"

Church Arson and Abortion Clinics.

Abortion Clinics.

Selma, Alabama.

1968 the Assassination. On March 28, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a march through Memphis, Tennessee for economic justice for striking sanitation workers. Violence broke out in response to the march and the state deployed over 3,800 National Guard troops.

Dr. King attempted to organize protest soon after. However, because of the previous disorder, the City of Memphis filed a lawsuit to prevent the march. The judge dispatched the marshal to serve a temporary restraining order to Dr. King at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. Their encounter was friendly despite awkward circumstances, and Dr. King was even able to laugh about it. Tragically, the next day on April 4 at 6:01 pm, Dr. King was murdered on the hotel alcony.

The Court reversed its judgement and allowed the march to continue on April 8. Over 40,000 people protested peacefully in Memphis. Deputies stood by during the entire march to maintain public safety and honor Dr. King.

Selma. To protect unjust laws that prevented Black people from voting, civil rights activists planned to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. During their first attempt, over six hundred marchers walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Under orders from Governor George Wallace, state troopers attacked them with clubs and tear gas. The violent incidente became known as "Bloody Sunday".

1961 Montgomery.

The Marshals and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Louisville, Kentucky Stop Forced Busing.

University of Alabama and James Meredith.

Riot Control. The battle of Old Miss was a warning: public university integration was not going to be peaceful. Existing riot control guidelines and training weren't enough to stem the violence quickly escalating across the south.

The Battle of Oxford. On September 30, Meredith was escorted to a dormitory on campus so he could register the next morning. Prostester gathered outside. Deputy marshals assembled in front of the nearby adminstration building.

As night fell, the protest turned into a violet mob of over three thousand people. Some were students, but most were white supremacists from across the region. Many hurled bricks. Some fired buckshot and others throw containers of battery acid. A few rioters even attempted to drive a stolen bulldozer and an ambulance into the building.

The depties used tear gas to push the crowd back, and disabled the stolen vehicles to use as barriers. However, they were exposed and running short of tear gas. It was not until early morning when military reinforcements arrived that the riot was brought under control.

Seventy-nine deputies were injured, along with eighty-one other enforcement personnel. A reporter and a civilian died. Because of the deputies' efforts, James Meredith regristed for class the next morning. They would protect him for months to come, despite harrassment and threats, until he graduated in August 1963.

On October 1, 1962, James Meredith became the first black student to legally enroll at the University of Mississippi, or "Ole Miss". This time the opposition was highly organized and had the support of the governor and state police.

Oxford, Mississippi.

Mississippi, Oxford-James Meredith.

Jim Crow. The end of the Civil War did not mark the end of the fight for equal rights for Black people. For decades, some southern cites and states used new laws to deny Black people their rights. These became known as Jin Crow Laws. Challenges to the laws led to some of the most significant and well-known incidents in the Civil Rights era.

The Problem We All Live With from Look Magazine, painted by Norman Rockwell.

The Problem We All Live With.

Justice, Integrity, Service - Don't Call Us The Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency. Call Us The First!

The Badge" It's Taken Hundreds of Years to Forge This Star.

United States Marshals Service Training Academy.

Training to Become a Deputy U.S. Marshal - The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) trains more than eighty federal agencies. They all complete a thirteen-week Criminal Investigator Training Program. But it is only the start for marshals trainees. Next they must complete an intensely challenging thirty-nine-day course for deputy marshals only.

Training teaches future deputies investigaton - how to find fugitives. It uses simulations and applies physical tactics to learn how to apprehend fugitives. Trainees learn guidance for handling prisoners and securing people under U.S. Marshals Service protection. Additionally, there's are also legal understanding, first aid, evidence procedures, searches and surveillence, and more.

At the end of the program, the trainees must show mastery of an array of skills, both phsyical and mental. Finally, trainees must complete the "marshal mile" - a ten-mile run punctuated with exercises, on the very day of graduation.

"Bad guys don't have handles" John O'Halloran, USMS Instructor.

Use of Force - How I Will Be Judged: Objective Reasonableness - What were the facts? Not capable of Precise Definitions - My decision need not be perfect, only reasonable. Reasonable Officers Standard - Could a Reasonable Officer Believe? No 20/20 Hindsight: The facts known at the time.

Graham Factors For Using Force: Severity of Crime, Suspect Is Immediate Threat, Suspect Actively Resisting Arrest, Suspect Attempting to Evade Arrest By Flight.

Training Tips - please be aware that this simulation is a strenuous activity that requires physical exertion and moderate stamina. If running becomes difficult, you may switch to this button. Please note - if you use this button, the option for running will no longer be available. Stay centered in the red square. Lift your feet while running in place. Be alert and maintain awareness.

Other Force Factors - number of suspects vs. officers; duration of action; size, age and condition of officer vs. the suspect; force applied did/did not result in injury; violent history of suspect known to officer.

Other Force Factors - phsychiatric history known to the officer; innocent bystanders who could be harmed; availability of weapons such as spray, batons or electronic control devices.

Deadly Force - probable cause; significant threat of serious physical harm to officers or others; warning if feasible.

Generally For All Force - fear not required; deadly force may become reasonable even when investigating minor offenses; no need to exhaust lesser force options; no duty to retreat; warn if feasible.

Conclusions vs. Facts.

Range of Reasonableness - No "Perfect" Answer; Facts Make Force Reasonable.

Marshals Service Task Force Van. Command: CDUSM O'Hearn. EMT DUSM McGillivray. EMT Cell (479) 627-7425. Nearest ER: Baptist Fort Smith. Hospital Address: 1001 Towson. Agency Point of Contact: FSPD Sgt. Turk. Point of Contact cell (479) 242-1789. PAO: USM Blackstone.

Let's Party - Washington vs. Cincinnati December 15, 1985.

Chicken Suit Head from Operation Flagship.

Invitation Postcard, Flagship Identification Ribbon and Ball Cap, Emcee's Top Hat.

Iraqi Freedom rug and patch.

International Involvement and Spy Swaps.

Service - International Involvement and Iraq Rug Gifted to SOG (Special Operations Group).

Adminstration - Headquartered in Virginia, these divisions provide a broad range of support. They include Human Resources, Management Support, Congressional and Public Affairs, and Informational Technology. Training Division - TD must provide relevant and quality training to all employees. Their primary base of operations is located at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia. Asset Forfeiture Division - AFD oversees the collection, management, selling and distribution of proceeds from seized assets. There are one of only two federal government entities responsible for disposition.

Operations - This office provides central oversight and specialized support for many forms of USMS Operations.

District Offices - There are ninety-four federal district offices. The President of the United States appoints the U.S. Marshal for each office. The chief deputy US Marshal of each office is a career position. Deputy US Marshals in the offices are responsible for investigations, apprehensions, protective duties and court support. Each state, plus several territories, has at least one district office of its own. Some states are divided into multiple regional districts.

Intergity - Office of the Director.

Escape of the Falcon, sidearms carried by Christopher Boyce, and Christopher Boyce handcuffs.

Tales of the 15 Most Wanted.

The Origins of the 15 Most Wanted.

El Chapo information board.

U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted Fugitives.

Marshals By The Numbers.

The Final Frontiers - the flexibility and broad jurisdiction of the Marshals Service makes them ideal to go where no other law officers have gone before.

In Their Own Voices.

Marshals on Screen.

A touring exhibit that was at its third location since 2022 was presented as part of the Cherokee Freedmen Art and History Project initiative, established by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., to broaden Cherokee Nation's understanding of the Cherokee Freedmen experience and ensure that it is included in the greater narrative of Cherokee history.We are Cherokee - Cherokee Freedman and the Right to Citizenship.

This exhibition showcases the journey of the Cherokee Freedman.

Demanding Recognition.

Slavery in Cherokee Nation.

A Cherokee basket honouring the memory of Rufus Vann.

Certificate of Descendency from Nancy Ward.

Communities.

Emancipation.

A Timeline of Cherokee Freedman History.

Famous Cherokees.

The Cherokee Freedmen.

List of The Cherokee Freedman.

Special Thanks.

War and Emancipation.

The Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor, an exhibit honoring the Marshals, Deputies, and Special Deputies who have given their lives while serving our country.

After a moving and eye-opening visit to this most impressive museum, I walked outside to see the Arkansas River.

On the grounds is The Lighthorseman, a striking thirteen-foot-tall bronze statue given by the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma to commemorate the Native American lawmen who worked with the marshals in Indian Territory. We all reboarded the buses and returned to Van Buren, where we crossed the Union Pacific tracks and I spotted an Arkansas and Missouri train.

Arkansas and Missouri train with Arkansas and Missouri C-420 50, ex. Essex Terminal 106, nee Lehigh Valley 22, built by American Locomotive Company in 1963; Arkansas and Missouri C-420 58, ex. Delaware and Hudson 420, exx. Delaware and Hudson 401, exxx. Conrail 2017, nee Lehigh and Hudson River 29; built by American Locomotive Company in 1966 and Arkansas and Missouri T-6 16, ex. Maryland and Delaware 16, nee Norfolk and Western 34; built by American Locomotive Company in 1959.

The bus returned us to Springdale and we went the conference dinner then called it a night.

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