Kenneth L. Smith was born in Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, on February 4, 1934.
After graduating from Hot Springs High School, Smith enrolled in the University of Arkansas and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1956. During his time in Northwest Arkansas, he began to photograph and write about the Buffalo River.
Smith went to work for the Crossett Paper Mill after graduation. In 1961 he went to the University of California, Berkeley for an MBA, and during his first semester, Smith took a job with the National Park Service. He was stationed at several national parks including Mount Rainier and Sequoia but continued to visit Arkansas and the Buffalo River. He took a leave of absence from the National Park Service in 1967 to write The Buffalo River Country.
In 1974 Smith returned to Arkansas and joined the Ozark Society. He was their education director from 1974 to 1976 and has been a lifelong member and conservationist. He designed and constructed much of the Buffalo River Trail for the Buffalo National River. Smith has also been a freelance writer and photographer. His other books include Buffalo River Handbook and Sawmill: The Story of Cutting the Last Great Virgin Forest East of the Rockies.
#1: Composite image of early photo of Kenneth L. Smith and still frame from Pryor Center video interview
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#2: Ken Smith's maternal grandfather, Samuel Everett Gibbs, standing in front of his first doctor's office when he worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Photo likely taken between 1883 and 1886. MC1423_Series6_Box1_SelectImages
© Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries
#3: Ken Smith's maternal grandfather, Samuel Everett Gibbs, was present at the ceremony for the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869; completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Gibbs is said to be in this image. Image source: Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
© Yale University Libraries
#4: Kenneth Lewis Smith, younger son of Elton V. Smith and Carol Gibbs Smith, 1934
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#5: Ken Smith, age 3 years 10 months
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#6: Ken Smith, age 5
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#7: Ken Smith (left) at age 8 1/2 and his brother, Donald, age 17; December 1942
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#8: Ken Smith, age 12
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#9: Ken Smith (left) at age 16 and his brother, Donald, age 24, at the University of Arkansas; June 1950
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#10: Ken Smith's Hot Springs High School graduation picture taken November 1951
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#11: Ken Smith's picture taken October 21, 1953, for the University of Arkansas yearbook, Razorback
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#12: Ken Smith (in back on right) with (l-r) his mother, Carol Gibbs Smith; sister-in-law, La Nell; brother, Donald; nephew, Bruce; and niece, Sandy; Stamps, Arkansas
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#13: Ken Smith (left) with his brother, Donald
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#14: Ken Smith, 1961
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#15: Ken Smith, August 1, 1961
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#16: From back of photo: Ken Smith on the private railway car exhibited at Tsa La Gi Inn near Tahlequah, Oklahoma; March 13, 1976; Photo by Pat Horan; Ben Johnson IV, Pat Horan and I were returning from Muskogee, OK where we attended a memorial service for David Strickland.
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#17: Ken Smith on the north fork of Whitely Creek in Newton County, Arkansas; March 18, 1978; Photo by Joan Wennerstrom
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#18: Ken Smith's home designed by architect René Diaz, Fayetteville, Arkansas; May 20, 1978
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#19: Ken Smith at Hawksbill Crag; From back of photo: Above Lower Whittaker Creek, looking east across the Buffalo River’s canyon south of Boxley, Newton County, December 6, 1980. Photo by Neil Compton
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#20: Ken Smith, July 25, 1981; Portrait by Andrew Kilgore
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#21: From back of photo: Ken Smith standing next to a portrait of his maternal great-grandfather McCord at the home of Willet and Lynn McCord; Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, May 8, 1984
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#22: Ken Smith; Photo by Matt Bradley
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#23: From back of photo: On the trail from Ponca to Steel Creek, winter 1986-87; left to right: Jim Liles, Ken Smith, Sue Barnette, Kim Thomas
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#24: From back of photo: Ken Smith – “Guiding light” for work on Buffalo River Trail and author of Buffalo River Country. Opening of Ponca-to-Steel Creek Trail; 25 April 1987; Photo by Virginia Lucas
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#25: From back of photo: Alec Gould, Buffalo River Supt., Ken Smith, guiding light & hard worker for building Buffalo River Trail and author of Buffalo River Country, Ponca Trailhead Opening, 25 April 1987; photo by Virginia Lucas, from Neil Compton’s photos, via Bill Compton
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#26: From back of photo: Building the Buffalo River Trail on the hillside east of Steel Creek, May 1987; Ken Smith (left) and Tom Maly, during the American Hiking Society’s work week, May 24-30
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#27: From back of photo: Left to right: Sally Stone, Chris Maiwold, Charlotte Shane, Neil Compton, Ken Smith, Bill Bates; present but not in photo: Jeremy Bates; Trail-building crew Buffalo River, 1990; C. J. Shane
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#28: From back of photo: Ken Smith autographing The Buffalo River Country for a trail volunteer at Silver Hill, 1991(?); Behind him: Arpig (R. P. = Retirement Plan) his volkswagon, 1969-?, named for its money-saving tendencies.
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#29: From back of photo: (from left) John McRaven, Ken Smith and Gerry Toler with the Buffalo National River East Half map. John and Gerry received copies of the map for having worked 15 days in the Ponca-Boxley section of the Buffalo River Hiking Trail. Photo taken February 5, 1994
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#30: From back of photo: Gerry Toler presents Ken Smith with his surprise 60th birthday cake, at the Steel Creek stone house, February 19, 1994. Photo from Jennifer Ailor
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#31: From back of photo: Trail construction by Backcountry Volunteers, October 24-28, 1994; Bill Riechen places a rock in a drainage structure; Ken Smith watches. Photo by Lewis Hevel
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#32: From back of photo: Ken Smith at lunch on the Buffalo River during a float on April 5, 1995 with members of the American Hiking Society’s “volunteer vacation” trailbuilding team. Photo by Jean Fleming
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#33: From back of photo: At the home of Hubert and Mary Virginia Ferguson at Boxley, about 1995. Front Row: Eunice Noland, Steve Noland, Kay Schroeder Richardson, Neil Compton; Second Row: Brenda Crites, _______ _______; Third Row: ______ ______, Mary Virginia Ferguson, Mary (Mrs. Joseph) Mayer; Fourth Row: Paul Noland, Kenneth Smith, Hubert Ferguson. Photo was probably taken by Joseph Meyer
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#34: From back of photo: At dedication of Boxley Ponca Trail, at Steel Creek, June 1, 1996; Left to right: Sally Hubbard, Bill Bates, Ken Smith, Cal Hogue, Neil Compton. Photo from Cindy Bates
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#35: From back of photo: Ken Smith speaking about David Strickland at the dedication of land at the Johnson Pear Farm as land trust, June 22, 1996. Photo from Ann Pritchard
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#36: From back of photo: At the observance of the 25th anniversary of Buffalo National River, at the Tyler Bend pavilion, June 14, 1997. Left to right: Kenneth Lee Smith, newly appointed director of the Ozark Natural Science Center; Millie Phillips, park interpreter, Tyler Bend; Kenneth Lewis Smith, Fayetteville; and Kathy Downs, park interpreter, Pruitt. Photo from Millie Phillips
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#37: From back of photo: Al Bowman and Ken Smith at celebration of 25th anniversary of Buffalo National River, at Tyler Bend, June 14, 1997. Photo by David Bowman
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#38: From back of photo: Ken Smith after crossing the Buffalo River to the north of Hemmed in Hollow during “alumni” trail work week, October 11-17, 1998. Photo by David Trissel
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#39: From back of photo: Kenneth L. Smith on the trail at the “fire break” at the Ozark Natural Science Center, week of March 28–April 3, 1999. Photo from Gay and Larry Cornelius
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#40: Caption below image: Ken Smith, somewhere on the lower Buffalo River, May, 2001; Digital Test Print 6-f-1 -photo by Don House
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#41: Caption below image: Ken Smith, Buffalo Point Campground, May, 2001; Digital Test Print 6-f-1 -photo by Don House
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#42: From back of photo: ONSC Trail Spring 2002; Kenneth L. Smith at the Ozark Natural Science Center, week of April 14-20, 2002. Photo by, and from, Phyllis Meredith
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#43: From back of photo: At Bill Bates’ campout, October 2002, at “Love Hensley” on the Buffalo River (river mile 86.6); Front row, left to right: Cindy Bates, Sally Hubbard, unknown (friend of Rea Cook), Judy McCune, Dave Smallwood, Charlie O’Reilly, Larry O’Reilly, Carl James; Back row, left to right: Bill Bates, Ken Smith, Paul McCune, Rea Cook, Bob Estes, Gerry Toler, Seth James (son of Carl); - photo by Carl James; A weekend campout with hikes from Dave Manes Bluff to the Love Hensley fields (Saturday), and from Love Hensley campsite to the overlook on Peter Cave Bluff (Sunday)
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#44: From bottom of photo: Ken Smith, Buffalo River Trail, January 2004; DHouse
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#45: From back of photo: Ken Smith, Bill Bates, and Sally Hubbard at cabins 13/14, Buffalo Point, February 14, 2004. Photo by Cindy Bates
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#46: Clockwise from center: Ken Smith, Luke Parsch, Janet Parsch, Mike Adelman, Dave Edwards; Buffalo River Trail, Spring 2004; Photo by Don House
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#47: Kenneth L. Smith on board the M.S. Volendam; August 11, 2004
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#48: Ken Smith (right) with Mike Moon at Backwoods Equipment Co. Store; Tulsa, Oklahoma; December 7, 2004; Photo by Bob Coon
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#49: Ken Smith at Jose's on Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas, March 12, 2005; Photo by Ed Mortan
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#50: Ken Smith on the Kings River, April 21, 2005
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#51: Ken Smith (right) with Michael Lively; July 29, 2005; Photo by Joe Plant
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#52: From back of photo: Kenneth L. Smith along the blue-flagged route of the Buffalo River Trail north of the Spring Creek Road, week of October 17-21, 2005. Photo by Phil Keller, American Hiking Society Volunteer
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#53: Ken Smith (right) with Caryn Tate; Buffalo Point pavillion No. 2, Arkansas, April 8, 2006
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#54: From back of photo: Ken Smith at the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Honor ceremonies, North Little Rock, when Ed Morton was taken into the Hall of Fame, ca. 2007; photo by and from Eddie Black of Bentonville
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#55: Ken Smith (right) with Dot Neely, Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association 10th birthday party, February 24, 2013
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#56: Ken Smith and Joyce Hale, December 15, 2013; Photo by Sabine Schmidt at Joyce and Jay's house in Fayetteville, Arkansas
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#57: Back of postcard to Ken Smith from Carrie Benson 05/22/05
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#58: Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Kenneth L. Smith at the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2022
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#59: Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Kenneth L. Smith at the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2022
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#60: Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Kenneth L. Smith at the Bungalows; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2024
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
#61: Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Kenneth L. Smith at the Bungalows; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2024
© Copyright Kenneth L. Smith
