Horse Thief Spring - Ouachita Mountains, Oklahoma

If you've ever seen the John Wayne movies "True Grit" or "Rooster Cogburn," then you know a little about the stories of the outlaws that once roamed the mountains of Oklahoma and the determined Deputy Marshals who risked their lives to bring them to justice in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Stories like "True Grit" and Clint Eastwood's later film "Hang 'Em High" were based on real events that took place along the Arkansas-Oklahoma border in the decades after the Civil War. Believing that the Indian Nations of what is now Oklahoma would provide them with safety, outlaws flooded to the region.

Their presence terrified the peaceful inhabitants of the Nations and surrounding areas and the U.S. Government launched an aggressive campaign to round up these outlaws and bring them to justice. Isaac Parker was appointed as the Federal Judge for the Western District of Arkansas, which held jurisdiction over the region, and before his career was over would hang more murders, rapists and robbers than any Federal Judge in American history. He would also suffer the loss of dozens of deputy marshals in the line of duty.

As Parker's deputies penetrated deeper and deeper into the outlaw hideouts, the outlaws found new locations deeper and deeper in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. Traces of their presence can still be found there today at places like Robbers Cave and Horse Thief Spring.

Located along the beautiful Talimena Scenic Drive that winds its way along the tops of the Ouachita Mountains, Horse Thief Spring is a site rich in history and tradition. A small spring, now surrounded by a stone enclosure erected during the Great Depression, bubbles from the side of the mountain.

According to legend, this spring was used as a watering place by Old West outlaws who hid out in the vicinity. The site is relatively close to the Old Military or Fort Towson Road, which led from Fort Smith south to Fort Towson near the Texas border. This road was a major route for travelers in the 19th century and was frequented by outlaws.

From the end of the Civil War for about 25 years, outlaws used places like Horse Thief Spring before the diligent deputies and Indian police finally brought their presence to an end. To learn more about this unique historic site, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/horsethiefspring.

Southern Ghosts Part Four - Rich Mountain, Arkansas

Ghost stories often provide a glimpse into real events from the distant past. This is the case with the legend of the Ghost of Rich Mountain in Arkansas.

Rich Mountain is located deep in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas. Although the area is now part of the Ouachita National Forest, it was once a region of isolated settlements where early pioneers clung to existence on the rocky slopes of the mountains.

On the top of the mountain, just off the Talimena Scenic Drive, is the Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery. Established at around the time of the Civil War by early settlers, it remained in use well into the 20th century. It is a mysterious place, even on sunny summer days. Cracked and broken tombstones surrounded by a split rail fence set off the drive in the woods are the focus of numerous stories of the early mountain settlers. Perhaps the most moving is the tale of the Ghost of Rich Mountain.

According to the story, a teenage girl was home with her mother and several younger children on a freezing night during the Civil War. The mother was severely ill with a fever, so the daughter went out with a bucket to obtain water from a nearby spring. It was late at night and icy winds were blowing across the mountain. Before she could return, however, she was confronted by wolves and took refuge in a tree. She froze to death there and was not found until the next day.

Legend holds that mysterious lights can be seen at night in the area of the Rich Mountain cemetery. The explanation usually given is that the strange light is given off by the ghost of the young girl, still trapped in a tree on the mountain more than 140 years after the Civil War.

If you would like to read more about the Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/richmountainghost.