Time & Location
Jun 23, 2022, 7:00 PM – Jun 24, 2022, 7:00 PM
Fort Smith, 320 Rogers Ave, Fort Smith, AR 72901, USA
About the event
Children’s Summer Reading Program
“Stagecoaches and Stories”
Every Thursday in June from 10:30 -12
(2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th)
This event is free and open to the public
Each Thursday in June (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th) from 10:30 - 12:00 pm, children and their adults are invited to participate in the Fort Smith Museum of History’s summer reading program, “Stories and Stagecoaches”. Each Thursday a different book in our children’s series highlighting the role of stagecoaches and their impact on American history will be read by volunteers to children of all ages! The books will engage children with thrilling historical stories of women stagecoach drivers, “Stagecoach Sal”, and “Fearless Mary”, both pioneers in their roles. Other lessons will focus on Fort Smith’s role in the development of the “Butterfield Trial”. Stories shared with children will also show the inner workings of a stagecoach, the miles travelled by drivers and passengers, the dangers they incurred, and the role stagecoaches played during the Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s and the expansion of the West. Join us for fun and games and a little learning along the way!
Children will be able to view an intricately detailed model stagecoach constructed by FSMH volunteer Floyd Robinson, specifically built for this summer project. A scavenger hunt will follow the readings—historical clues will lead kids to prizes they can collect for a special stagecoach “mail bag” full of goodies. And, no children’s program is complete without a trip to the soda fountain for a refreshing cup of ice cream to wrap up the adventures!
This is a free event open to the public, children of all ages, and their accompanying adults.
It’s fun and games for any age child but most suitable for children 10 and under, however, all children are welcome.