This morning I flew from Louisville to Little Rock, Arkansas, and then rented a car to drive to Ft. Smith on the Oklahoma border. I traveled Route 10, a smaller rural highway, just to get a better picture of the countryside than that offered by the Interstates. One thing that struck me about Arkansas--and which I didn't know before--was the large number of natural gas wells across the countryside.
Another fact that surprised me about Arkansas was the large number of big motorcycles on the roads. Harley Davidson is alive and well in this state, along with the other big bikes.
The parish where I stayed and spoke on the weekend was Immaculate Conception Church, founded in 1843 and now one of the more recognizable landmarks of Ft. Smith.
The church is located at the end of Garrison Street, so that anyone going north on this main thoroughfare heads directly toward the towering church building. This picture was taken from the church steps.
Inside, Immaculate Conception Church is a traditional church of the last century that has been well-maintained and is quite active. It seats 1200 people.
