March 27, 1942

Camp Chaffee, later renamed Fort Chaffee, was activated near Fort Smith (Sebastian County) as a center to train armored divisions during World War II. During the war and for a number of years following, Fort Smith’s economy was largely dependent on income from activities of the fort. The fort was deactivated and reactivated a number of times, and during the 1950s and 1960s, the city was able to diversify its economic base to become less reliant on Camp Chaffee. Fifty-three acres were used to house 3,400 German prisoners of war during World War II, and, in 1975, facilities were used by the federal government for resettlement of Vietnamese refugees, a number of whom remained in the area after release.