Yellville, Arkansas

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Yellville is a city in Marion County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,312 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Marion County^GR6.

Yellville is named after Archibald Yell who was the first member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas, second Governor of Arkansas, and who fell in combat at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War. Yellville existed well before the state of Arkansas was accepted into the United States in 1836, but under a different name. The actual name of Yellville is explained by Marian Burnes in the 1979 book, The History of Marion County:

In 1836 Marion County was formed...At that time, Yellville was chosen as a name for the town, in honor of Arkansas's second governor, Archibald Yell. The story has been handed down that he wanted the new town named in his honor and offered the founding fathers $50 to do so. They named it Yellville, but the $50 was never paid. Before Archibald Yell, the settlement was called Shawneetown for the Indian villages located here. Yell fought in the Mexican War under General Zachary Taylor and died in the war in 1848. The name Yell can be seen across Arkansas, as in Yell County, Arkansas and Archibald Yell Boulevard in Fayetteville, Arkansas. At least two biographies of Yell have been written, the most recent published by the University of Arkansas Press in Fayetteville.

Interestingly current relatives of Governor Yell read about how Yellville got its name and in 2006 paid the naming fee without interest.

To honor the original town name, the local town branch that flows near Crooked Creek and through town is called the Shawnee Town Branch. There is also a Shawneetown Days Festival.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Turkey Trot
4 Buffalo National River
5 Bull Shoals Dam and Reservoir / White River
6 Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Yellville is located at 36°13′47″N, 92°41′7″W (36.229723, -92.685310)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,312 people, 535 households, and 356 families residing in the city. The population density was 199.4/km² (515.6/mi²). There were 599 housing units at an average density of 91.1/km² (235.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.71% White, 0.76% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.53% of the population were Hispanic 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 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 for the city was $12,618. About 13.2% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Turkey Trot

One of the longest traditions in Yellville is the annual Turkey Trot festival. 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. October 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of this festival. The 1970s television show, WKRP in Cincinnati, parodied the turkey drop on one of their best-known episodes. Yellville and the Turkey Trot Festival were also included in the American supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer in 1989 with photographs of the festival and commentary on animal cruelty. Due to the bad press, the turkey drop ceased for a few years. It has since resumed. The Turkey Trot festival also includes a Miss Turkey Trot Pageant, a Miss Drumstickz Competition (best legs), dinners, musical entertainment, a 5 kilometer run, a parade (which has included current Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee), and a nationally recognized turkey calling contest sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation. Crafts and tools related to the hunting of wild turkeys are also sold in streetside booths along the town square. Entertainment at Turkey Trot has ranged in recent years from famous acts like John Conlee singer of "Rose Colored Glasses" and Jeannie Kendall from the Grammy-award winning group The Kendalls, to more local entertainment by area groups such as The Muddles, Joe Sasser and Friends, and Carnes McCormack.

[edit] Buffalo National River

Yellville is popular for its proximity to the Buffalo National River. During the summer, tourists visit the area and Yellville becomes a hub for shopping and lodging for all those visiting this particular region of the Ozark Mountains and the Buffalo National River. A popular Bed and Breakfast in Yellville is the Red Raven Inn. The Buffalo Point Ranger Station is located approximately 17 miles 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 from the zinc 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.

[edit] 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. Eastern Marion County's border with Baxter County, Arkansas is marked by the White River. Both are well-known for offering another outdoors opportunity for those visiting the area. Water skiing, pontoon boating, and fishing are all popular summer activities at the Bull Shoals Lake and White River areas. Yellville is located approximately 14 miles southwest from Bull Shoals, Arkansas and serves as another housing and tourist destination for those who are 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, Arkansas along the Marion and Baxter County line.

[edit] 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 471 acres of land along a 2.5 mile stretch of Crooked Creek that was once a dairy farm.