In Ft. Smith, Arkansas at Miss Laura's
In the early 1900's, Fort Smith, Arkansas was a wide open raucous border town located next to the still untamed Oklahoma territory. Outlaws with loot from robberies and holdups like the James Gang, the Dalton Gang, the Younger Gang, Belle Starr and Cherokee Bill all came and stayed a while. Cowboys with a month's pay, rowdy's looking to blow off steam, soldiers from the fort, outcast characters and a few God-fearing pioneers passed through or settled down in the town. Each had their own reason for being there, seeking their own adventure, seeking their own pleasure. Fort Smith was eager to accommodate all requests.
T
he River Front Hotel was opened to accommodate the rowdy men in 1903. It soon became known as Miss Laura's Social Club (the owner was Miss Laura Zeiglar) and it proved to be a great success. After being sold for a tidy profit by Miss Laura in 1911, the new owner did not keep up the maintenance and the building was eventually abandoned in 1948. It was scheduled for demolition in 1963 when Donald Reynolds purchased the historic building and began restoration.
Today it houses the Ft. Smith Visitor Center and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Please click here for full write-up on Miss Laura's on our sister site)
he River Front Hotel was opened to accommodate the rowdy men in 1903. It soon became known as Miss Laura's Social Club (the owner was Miss Laura Zeiglar) and it proved to be a great success. After being sold for a tidy profit by Miss Laura in 1911, the new owner did not keep up the maintenance and the building was eventually abandoned in 1948. It was scheduled for demolition in 1963 when Donald Reynolds purchased the historic building and began restoration. 
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