Yellville is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Marion County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States. Yellville is located in the

Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

along the banks of Crooked Creek, and neighbors the small town of

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

to the north. The population was 1,178 at the 2020 census. The town's original name is preserved in the Shawnee Town Branch, a local creek. The town holds an annual Turkey Trot Festival (

turkey trot Turkey trots are footraces, usually of the road running, long-distance variety, held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The name is derived from the use of turkey as food, turkey as a common centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinne ...

). The area's history includes mining and timber industries.

History

Well before Arkansas became a state, the community was known as "Shawneetown". Yellville is named after

Archibald Yell Archibald Yell (August 9, 1797 – February 23, 1847) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative from Arkansas from 1836 to 1839, and 1845 to 1846. He was the second governor of Arkansas, serving from 1840 to 184 ...

, who was the first member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Arkansas and the second

governor of Arkansas The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Arkansas government a ...

. He was killed at the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. Marion County was formed in 1836, shortly after statehood. Shawneetown was then renamed Yellville. An old tale claims Archibald Yell offered $50 to do so, but never paid the money. True or not, Governor Yell's descendants heard the story and paid the overdue "bill" several years ago. Yell's name can be seen elsewhere in the state, including Yell County and Archibald Yell Boulevard in

Fayetteville Fayetteville may refer to: *Fayetteville, Alabama *Fayetteville, Arkansas ** The Fayetteville Formation *Fayetteville, Georgia *Fayetteville, Illinois *Fayetteville, Indiana *Fayetteville, Washington County, Indiana *Fayetteville, Missouri *Fayette ...

. Several biographies of him have been written, the most recent published by the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

Press in Fayetteville. During the late 1840s, Yellville was the scene of several prolonged gunfights during the

Tutt–Everett War The Tutt–Everett War, also called the Marion County War, or the Tutt, King, Everett War, was a politically motivated feud that took place in Marion County, Arkansas between 1844 and 1850 during the politically charged era preceding the Americ ...

. John A. Schnabel organized his

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

cavalry battalion in the town in 1863. In the early morning of July 17th, 2024; Marion County received just under a foot of rainfall in a considerable flash flooding event. During the event, bridges and homes were reportedly washed out in Yellville, including a nursing home due to the high waters. The National Weather Service in

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

promptly issued a Flash Flood Emergency for Yellville and surrounding areas. Yellville is still recovering from the flooding impacts.

Geography

Yellville is located in central Marion County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.96%, are water. It is bordered to the north by the small city of

. Mountain Home is to the northeast and

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

is to the west via U.S. Routes

412 __NOTOC__ Year 412 ( CDXII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Europe as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius (or, less frequently, year 1165 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denom ...

/ 62.

Climate

Yellville, located in the Arkansas Ozarks, has a humid continental-subtropical climate, with cold-to-mild winters and hot, humid summers. Yellville's record high temperature of was observed on August 29, 1984, and July 30, 1986, while the record low of was observed on January 11, 1977.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,178 people, 416 households, and 271 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,312 people, 535 households, and 356 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.76% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.53% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 535 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $31,793. Males had a median income of $26,000 versus $18,056 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,618. About 13.2% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Human resources

Education

Primary and secondary education

Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary school students is provided by the

Yellville–Summit School District Yellville–Summit School District is an accredited school district located in Yellville, Arkansas, United States. Yellville–Summit School District provides early childhood, elementary secondary education to students in Yellville, Summit and ...

, which leads to graduation from

Yellville–Summit High School Yellville–Summit High School is an accredited public high school located in Yellville, Arkansas, United States. Yellville–Summit High School provides secondary education to students in Yellville, Summit and surrounding unincorporated communiti ...

Higher education

In 1890, Yellville College was established in the city along College Street. It was demolished in 1925. Neither Yellville nor Marion County contain any institutions of higher education. The nearest are

Arkansas State University Mountain Home Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma to the ...

, in Mountain Home, and North Arkansas College in

, both two-year public schools. Nearby four-year education is offered by

College of the Ozarks College of the Ozarks is a Private college, private Christian college in Point Lookout, Missouri, United States. The college has an enrollment of 1,426 and over 30 academic majors in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs. The colleg ...

, a Christian liberal-arts college in

Point Lookout, Missouri Point Lookout is an unincorporated community in Oliver Township, Taney County, Missouri, United States, near Branson and Hollister. Point Lookout is in the U.S. postal service ZIP code 65726. Point Lookout is part of the Branson Micropolitan ...

, and

Lyon College Lyon College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and located in Batesville, Arkansas. Founded in 1872 as Arkansas College, it is the oldest independent college in Arkansas. History Located in Batesville, Ar ...

, a private liberal arts college in Batesville. The nearest four-year public school is

Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is a public university in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in a range of fields. The Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus, a two-yea ...

in Russellville.

Library system

The Marion County Library is located at 308 Old Main in Yellville. The library offers books,

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

s, media, reference, youth, and

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

services.

Public safety

Yellville and Marion County operate under a joint city/county law enforcement agreement.

Culture and contemporary life

Buffalo National River

Yellville is popular for its proximity to the

Buffalo National River The Buffalo National River, in Northern Arkansas, was the first National River to be designated in the United States. The Buffalo River is long. The lower flow within the boundaries of an area managed by the National Park Service, where the s ...

, to the south via State Highway 14. During the summer, tourists visit the area and Yellville becomes a hub for shopping and lodging for them. The Buffalo Point Ranger Station is located approximately south of Yellville. Activities and services in the area include horseback trail riding, canoeing, and cabin rentals. Other area attractions include the more than 1,000 caves that exist in Marion County, and the famous "Rush" ghost town located in the Buffalo Point area—a turn-of-the-century

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

from the

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

mining heyday of the area. Abandoned mines are visible along many of the hiking trails at Rush, but are fenced off due to safety concerns. Recent arson has destroyed a few of the historic buildings of the Rush ghost town.

Bull Shoals Dam and Reservoir / White River

Most of northern Marion County is made up of water—most notably, the waters created by the

Bull Shoals Dam Bull Shoals Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the White River in northern Arkansas in the United States. The dam lies on the border of Marion and Baxter Counties, and forms Bull Shoals Lake, which extends well northwest into Missouri. Its main p ...

. Eastern Marion County's border with Baxter County is marked by the White River. Water skiing, pontoon boating, and fishing are all popular summer activities at the Bull Shoals Lake and White River areas. Yellville is located approximately southwest of

Bull Shoals Bull Shoals may refer to: *Bull Shoals Dam, a concrete gravity dam on the White River in northern Arkansas *Bull Shoals Lake, an artificial lake formed by the Bull Shoals Dam *Bull Shoals, Arkansas Bull Shoals is a city in Marion County, Arkansa ...

and serves as an alternate housing and tourist destination for those not staying at the numerous resorts in Bull Shoals, along the White River, or at the confluence of the Buffalo and White rivers near Buffalo City.

Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek

In 1999, Fred Berry, a former counselor and teacher at the Yellville-Summit School District, donated the funding to create an educational center at Kelley's Access on Crooked Creek, located near the Yellville City Park. With additional donations and a "conservation tax", the plan was put into action. On June 17, 2005, the Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek opened. It is one of four education centers with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. It sits on of land along a stretch of Crooked Creek that was once a dairy farm.

Annual cultural events

One of the longest traditions in Yellville is the annual Turkey Trot festival sponsored by the Mid-Marion County

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

. Beginning in 1945 with the first turkey dropped from the roof of the Marion County Courthouse, the festival continues today. It is held every second weekend of October with the best-known attraction being live turkeys that are dropped from airplanes over the town square. The event has been criticized in the past by

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights ...

and others. The Turkey Trot festival also includes a pageant, dinners, musical entertainment, a 5 kilometer run, a parade, and a nationally recognized turkey calling contest sponsored by the

National Wild Turkey Federation The National Wild Turkey Federation is an international non-profit organization whose mission is 'the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.' It currently has more than 250,000 members in the United States ...

. Crafts and tools related to the hunting of wild turkeys are also sold in streetside booths along the town square.

Infrastructure

Major highways

US 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) is an east–west United States Highway in the southern and northeastern United States. It runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian bo ...

US 412 U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of th ...

U.S. Route 62 Business * Arkansas 14

Highway 14 * Arkansas 202

Highway 202 * Arkansas 235

Highway 235

Utilities

Entergy Arkansas is the sole provider of electricity in almost all of Marion County, including Yellville. Natural gas service is available from Black Hills Energy. Sanitation is provided by Nabors Sanitation, and cable television service is provided by Yelcot The Yellville Water Department purchases

potable water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

from the Marion County Regional Water Association, whose source is

Bull Shoals Lake Bull Shoals Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, United States. It has hundreds of miles of lake arms and coves, and common activities include boating, water sports, swimming, ...

. The Yellville Water Department has 2,329 retail population served, and is responsible for maintenance of the water system and customer billing.

Notable people

Betty Gaedtke Betty Gaedtke ( Quapaw Nation) is a Quapaw elder and potter, based in Arkansas. She previously served on the Quapaw Business Committee. Gaedtke's achievements have resulted in her being honored as an AARP recipient. Background Betty Gaedtke is ...

(

Quapaw The Quapaw ( , Quapaw language, Quapaw: ) or Arkansas, officially the Quapaw Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes in the United States, U.S. federally recognized tribe comprising about 6,000 citizens. Also known as the Ogáxpa or � ...

), potter *

Kelley Linck Kelley J. Linck (born November 10, 1963) is a partner, lobbyist and consultant with WSG Consulting, LLC in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was formerly with Mullenix and Associates, LLC in Little Rock and previously served as the chief of legislative ...

, represented Yellville and surrounding area in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

from 2011 to 2016 * Henry V. Young, lawyer who served in the state legislature from 1939-1945.The Arkansas Handbook 1945-1946
by Dallas T. Herndon Arkansas History Commission page 90

References

External links

City of Yellville unofficial website

Yellville-Summit School District

Yellville Area Chamber of Commerce

Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

* ttp://www.flippinonline.com/ ''The Mountaineer Echo'' local newspaper
Buffalo National River - National Park Service
{{authority control * Cities in Arkansas Cities in Marion County, Arkansas County seats in Arkansas