Episode 6 - "They rode for Parker" - Oak Cemetery, Fort Smith, Arkansas

The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery

Jennie and Diane speak with Ryan M. Seidemann, lawyer, archeologist, anthropologist, professor, and cemeterian as he tells the true story of the U.S. Marshalls and Judge Issac Parker (often known as the Hangin' Judge) at Fort Smith, Arkansas from the 1870's through the 1890's. He takes us through Oak Cemetery and explains how they chose to be remembered vs. how the generations of the mid-late 20th century have embraced their wild west legacy. From novels to Hollywood movies with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges we learn how the modern U.S. Marshalls are embracing their history, the good, the bad and the ugly to paint a true picture of life on the borderlands of the old west.