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Fort Smith Country Club Materials

 Collection
Identifier: MC 1912

Scope and Content Note

This collection includes biographical information of the earliest people involved in the Fort Smith Country Club as well as newspaper clippings.

Dates

  • 1903-1955

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Access Information

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Use Information

No Use Restrictions Apply.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U. S. Title 17).

Historical Sketch

The Fort Smith Country Club is a public golf course located in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. In 1903 local citizens hired Alex Findlay, of Wright and Ditson Sporting Goods to design the golf course. Findlay was a famous golfer from Montrose, Scotland who had designed 125 golf courses from Canada to the Bahamas. The course was completed and opened to the public in 1904. The club’s first golf pro, Leslie Brownlee of Berwick, Scotland, was hired in 1906. After working at the club for three years, he gave up his golf career and became a medical student in Oklahoma City. At his departure, he recommended Arthur “Al” Kendall, also of Berwick, to become the new golf pro. In 1913, the Fort Smith Light and Traction Company built trolley tracks that crossed five of the fairways causing the layout of the course to be changed. Al Kendall left the club in 1917 and the next golf pro was John Gatherum from St. Andrews, Scotland. In 1927, the Hardscrabble Country Club was built with an eighteen-hole course causing many members of the Fort Smith Country Club to move their membership. Eventually, the Fort Smith Country Club was bought by the United Commercial Travelers and the name was changed to the United Commercial Travelers Country Club. During the late twenties and early thirties, Highway 64 was constructed in place of the trolley tracks which further divided the course. Golfers found themselves having to walk across the highway with their spiked shoes in traffic until 1955 when Pete Parker bought the United Commercial Travelers Country Club and moved the golf course to the south side of Highway 64. It was renamed the Fort Smith Country Club and the golf course that remained on the north side of Highway 64 became the Forest Park Cemetery.

Extent

.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

Arrangement of the Papers

Materials are arranged by topic.

Acquisition Information

The Fort Smith Country Club Materials were donated to Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, by Dusty Helbling of Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Processing Information

Processed by Andrew Donovan; completed in June 2013

Creator

Source

Title
Fort Smith Country Club Materials
Status
Completed
Author
Andrew Donovan
Date
2013
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Department Repository

Contact:
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville AR 72701 United States
(479) 575-8444