The Brodie Station, 18.6 miles from Parks Station, was located just south of Lee creek. Happy Jack found a re-ally nice campsite and the foundations of some old buildings beside the creek that may have been the station. As funds become available, the Heritage Trail Partners will no doubt pinpoint the exact location with historic markers. Ormsby describes the ride from Parks to Brodie as the roughest ride since leaving Tipton. The team of mules was replaced by a team of horses at Brodie.
A Historic marker in Van Buren, 21.9 miles from Brodie, marks the location where the stage was placed on a ferry and floated across the Arkansas River. The marker is at the intersection of Main and 3rd.
The Fort Smith National Historic Site, 8.1 miles from van Buren, is the location where the stage was put on a ferry and taken across the river and into Oklahoma.
Nightfall had surrounded Lone Writer and Happy Jack by the time they arrived at Fort Smith. It was time to find a motel with rooms to spare. The continued journey along the Butterfield Overland Trail to San, Francisco would have to wait for another day. But that's another story.
Larry E. Heck has been writing backcountry adventure stories since 1985. Some of the newer e-book products in the Campfire Tales series can be found at www.lone-writer.com. The site also contains Campfire Tales written decades ago. If you have an idea for a historic backcountry trail that you think Larry should consider, write to larry@lone-writer.com or call (303) 349-9937.