Yellville is a city in and county seat of Marion County, Arkansas, United States. Yellville is located in the Ozark Mountains along the banks of Crooked Creek, and neighbors the small town of Summit 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).

History

Yellville is named after Archibald Yell, who was the first member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas and the second governor of Arkansas. He was killed at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War. Yellville existed well before Arkansas became a state, though originally known as "Shawneetown".

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. Several biographies of him have been written, the most recent published by the University of Arkansas Press in Fayetteville.

During the late 1840s, Yellville was the scene of several prolonged gunfights during the Tutt–Everett War. John A. Schnabel organized his Confederate 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 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 city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²), or 0.96%, are water. It is bordered to the north by the small city of Summit. Mountain Home is 20 miles (32 km) to the northeast and Harrison is 28 miles (45 km) to the west via U.S. Routes 412/62.

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 110 °F (43 °C) was observed on August 29, 1984, and July 30, 1986, while the record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was observed on January 11, 1977.

Climate data for Yellville, Arkansas
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	76 (24)	83 (28)	92 (33)	95 (35)	94 (34)	102 (39)	110 (43)	110 (43)	102 (39)	95 (35)	85 (29)	78 (26)	110 (43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	48 (9)	53 (12)	63 (17)	73 (23)	80 (27)	87 (31)	92 (33)	91 (33)	83 (28)	74 (23)	62 (17)	51 (11)	71 (22)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	21 (−6)	26 (−3)	35 (2)	44 (7)	52 (11)	61 (16)	65 (18)	63 (17)	56 (13)	43 (6)	35 (2)	26 (−3)	44 (7)
Record low °F (°C)	−20 (−29)	−14 (−26)	2 (−17)	18 (−8)	30 (−1)	40 (4)	44 (7)	38 (3)	29 (−2)	18 (−8)	2 (−17)	−15 (−26)	−20 (−29)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.40 (61)	2.90 (74)	4.40 (112)	4.20 (107)	5.20 (132)	4.10 (104)	2.80 (71)	3.50 (89)	3.90 (99)	3.70 (94)	4.50 (114)	3.90 (99)	45.50 (1,156)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	3.8 (9.7)	3.4 (8.6)	2.2 (5.6)	0.2 (0.51)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.9 (2.3)	2.8 (7.1)	13.3 (34)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	170	—
1870	96	−43.5%
1880	345	259.4%
1890	263	−23.8%
1900	578	119.8%
1910	463	−19.9%
1920	615	32.8%
1930	478	−22.3%
1940	546	14.2%
1950	697	27.7%
1960	636	−8.8%
1970	860	35.2%
1980	1,044	21.4%
1990	1,181	13.1%
2000	1,312	11.1%
2010	1,204	−8.2%
2020	1,178	−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Yellville racial composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	1,059	89.9%
Native American	13	1.1%
Asian	6	0.51%
Other/Mixed	67	5.69%
Hispanic or Latino	33	2.8%

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

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, which leads to graduation from Yellville–Summit High School.

Higher education

In 1890, Yellville College was established in the city along College Street. The institution was demolished in 1925. Today, neither Yellville nor Marion County contain any institutions of higher education. The nearest are Arkansas State University Mountain Home, in Mountain Home, and North Arkansas College in Harrison, both two-year public schools. Nearby four-year education is offered by College of the Ozarks, a Christian liberal-arts college in Point Lookout, Missouri, and Lyon College, a private liberal arts college in Batesville. The nearest four-year public school is Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

Library system

The Marion County Library is located at 308 Old Main in Yellville. The library offers books, e-books, media, reference, youth, and genealogy 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, 16 miles (26 km) 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 17 miles (27 km) 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.

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 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 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Bull Shoals 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

Crooked Creek near the City Park

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 (1.91 km²) of land along a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) 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. 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 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. Crafts and tools related to the hunting of wild turkeys are also sold in streetside booths along the town square.

Infrastructure

Major highways

Highway 14 in Yellville

US 62/US 412
U.S. Route 62 Business
Highway 14
Highway 202
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 from the Marion County Regional Water Association, whose source is Bull Shoals Lake. The Yellville Water Department has 2,329 retail population served, and is responsible for maintenance of the water system and customer billing.

Notable people

Kelley Linck, represented Yellville and surrounding area in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016

Yellville, Arkansas facts for kids

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