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- In the early days, Garrison Avenue consisted mostly of saloons and drug stores. One of the saloons was called the Silver Dollar. There were silver dollars cemented in the floor. The Fair Clothing Store was located between North 3rd. and 4th Street. It was owned by Sam Tillis - Alvin Tillis's father. The Boston Store and Arcade were then located between South 6th and 7th Street. I can remember a corn meal mill on the corner of North 10th and Garrison, a red frame building. Then there was Tab Kelley's butcher shop located near the corner of Texas Road (now Towson Avenue) on the avenue. The building has been razed and is now just a vacant lot. Between South 12th and 13th Streets, there was a row of residual houses- On North 13th and Garrison Avenue where the Goldman Hotel stands was the Edmundson home, a white frame house with a picket fence around it. Mr. Edmundson had a bakery on North l0th and A streets. The Catholic Church was on North 13th and A, a frame building which was destroyed by the cyclone of 1898. It was replaced by the present brick Catholic Church at the head of the avenue.
- I remember when the Gould Bridge across the Arkansas River near Coke Hill was dedicated. John Phillip Sousa's band played for the occasion. The bridge carried wagons, people on foot, as well as the Missouri Pacific trains. The MoPac depot was originally near the bridge. Their freight depot was across the street. The first Frisco depot was on North 1st and A streets. It was a frame building painted red. I can still hear the porter of a hotel at the depot with his cab yelling "LeFlore Hotel" ready to take customers there. The hotel was located where the Hutchinson Shoe Co. is now. The Main Hotel was where the First National Bank parking lot and part of the building is now. The hotel was owned by Dr. Main, a relative by marriage of Judge Parker. The Mayo Hotel was directly across the street and included a popular restaurant. There was a tunnel leading from it to a saloon. The Southern Hotel was on North 6th Street between Garrison Avenue and North A. It was torn down and is now a parking lot. Above the Tony Bly Saloon on Garrison Avenue between South 5th and 6th Streets was a big gambling parlor. In later years, the Goldman Hotel was built and became a very popular and fashionable place for dinners, dances and wedding receptions. One of the old drug stores was McCorkle Drug, owned by Dr. McCorkle and his son. It was located between South l0th and 11th Streets on Garrison Avenue. The John Schaap Drug Store was located between South 6th and 7th on Garrison Avenue. Located where part of the old Boston Store building is was the James Sparks Drug Store. Also there was Frank Grober's Drug on South l0th and Garrison Avenue where I bought Ayers Hair Vigor and Tetlows Gosmers face powder for my mother.
- Across the street from a bank on North 6th and Garrison was the Missouri Pacific ticket office. In the rear, was the J. J. Little Clothing Store. J.J. Little was the fire chief at that time. The first fire station was on North 6th between North A and B streets. The fire equipment consisted of a steam engine and a hook and ladder driven by horses. The first big fire I remember was that of the John Schaap Drug Store. I remember seeing the black smoke from where we lived on North J Street.
- Fort Smith, at that time, had two powder houses where gun powder was kept. These buildings were fire proof. One was located on the Reserve between South 7th and 9th Streets on Little Rock (Rogers) Avenue. The other was located far out on the south side of town. One day it exploded shaking the town and breaking many windows.
- The Reserve was a section of ground between South 7th and 9th, and Little Rock Avenue and South A. The circuses and carnivals were held here when they came to town. Every fall, the town had a street fair on Garrison Avenue with all kinds of attractions. I remember seeing my first silent movie under a tent during a fair. One of the first movies I saw starred Charlie Chaplin. The town
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