A History of Yellville, Arkansas

(Some information is courtesy of the Mountain Echo Newspaper, Yellville Arkansas)

Yellville is a small town, with a population of about 1,200 people, situated directly in the center of Marion County, Arkansas. Yellville is the county seat. Marion County is in North Central Arkansas, and is one of the northern-most counties in Arkansas, bordering right at the Arkansas/Missouri state line. In fact, Yellville is about 20-25 miles from the Missouri border if you proceed North through Marion County, through Lead Hill, AR and other areas.

Yellville was founded way before the actual state of Arkansas was accepted into the United States in 1836. The actual name of Yellville is best explained by Marion Burnes, who writes in the 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' 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, and Archibald Yell Boulevard in Fayetteville. At least two biographies of Yell have been written, the most recent published by the University of Arkansas Press in Fayetteville."

Yellville has one school, Yellville-Summit High School. Summit is small town, with a population of about 250 people, that connects with Yellville. The school is a consolidation of both of the cities.

Every October, Yellville makes itself known to the world when it holds it's famous festival...The Turkey Trot Festival. This will be explained in more detail on another page.

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