Editing Yell County, Arkansas

{{short description|County in Arkansas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county                   = Yell County
 | state                    = Arkansas
 | seal                     = 
 | founded year             = 1840
 | founded date             = December 5
 | seat                     = [[Danville, Arkansas|Danville]] (western district);<br />[[Dardanelle, Arkansas|Dardanelle]] (eastern district)
 | largest city             = Dardanelle
 | leader_name              = Jeff Gilkey
 | leader_title             = [[County executive|County judge]]
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 949
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 930
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 19
 | named for                = [[Archibald Yell]]
 | area percentage          = 2.0%
 | population_as_of         = 2020
 | population_total         = 20263
 | pop_est_as_of            = 2023
 | population_est           = 20044 {{loss}}
 | density_sq_mi            = auto
 | web                      = yellcountyar.gov
 | ex image                 = Yell County Courthouse 001.jpg
 | ex image cap             = Yell County Courthouse, Dardanelle
 | district                 = 4th
 | time zone                = Central
}}

'''Yell County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Arkansas]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 20,263.<ref name="USCensusEst2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/yellcountyarkansas,US/PST045221|title=QuickFacts, Yell County, Arkansas; United States|access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> The county has two [[county seat]]s, [[Dardanelle, Arkansas|Dardanelle]] and [[Danville, Arkansas|Danville]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>  Yell County is Arkansas's 42nd county, formed on December 5, 1840, from portions of Scott and Pope counties. It was named after [[Archibald Yell]], who was the state's first member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] and the second governor of Arkansas. He died in combat at the [[Battle of Buena Vista]] during the [[Mexican–American War]].

Yell County is part of the [[Russellville, Arkansas|Russellville]] [[Russellville micropolitan area|micropolitan statistical Area]]. Yell County is a [[dry county]] as alcohol is prohibited.

==History==
{{See also|Prehistory of Arkansas}}
[[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] first inhabited present-day Yell County and the [[Arkansas River Valley]] for thousands of years prior to [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]]. They used the open, fertile floodplain of the [[Arkansas River]] for hunting grounds and later farming settlements. During the [[Thomas Jefferson and Indian Removal]] era, many [[Cherokee]] were voluntarily relocating from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] along the Arkansas River, including in Yell County, between 1775 and 1786. A large [[Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)|Cherokee reservation]] across the Arkansas River from Yell County was established in 1815 to encourage further voluntary relocation from Georgia.

The area presently encompassed as Yell County was first settled by European settlers when James Carden built a house in 1819 among [[Cherokee]] farms in the Dardanelle Bottoms, at the [[confluence]] of the Arkansas and [[Petit Jean River|Petit Jean]] rivers.<ref>{{harvp|"Gleason"|2017|p= 12}}.</ref> Lands south of the Arkansas River had been deeded to the [[Choctaw]] in the 1820s when they removed from their homelands east of the Mississippi River, but white settlement and Cherokee relocation continued apace into the 1820s. The peoples competed over the prime river-bottom lands.

In June 1823, a meeting between numerous Cherokee chiefs and acting Territorial Governor [[Robert Crittenden]] was held under two large oak trees.  Long believed by many to result in a "Council Oaks Treaty" reestablishing Cherokee title of {{convert|3.2|e6acre|e6ha|abbr=off}} north of the Arkansas River, Crittenden had no treaty-making authority and the meeting ended with no agreement other than each party sending separate letters to Secretary of War [[John C. Calhoun]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=Clarence Edwin |title=The Territorial Papers of The United States, Volume XIX, The Territory of Arkansas 1819-1825 |date=1953 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=525–527 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044032317042&view=1up&seq=9 |access-date=January 5, 2023 |quote='''Chiefs of the Arkansas Cherokee to the Secretary of War'''... on this day we have had a talk in council, among other things the boundaries of our nation was discussed.}} The chiefs' letter was signed by marks by John Jolly, Young Glass, Black Fox, Thomas Graves, Walter M. Webber, George Morris, and Water Minnow at the end of the meeting on June 24, 1823.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=Clarence Edwin |title=The Territorial Papers of The United States, Volume XIX, The Territory of Arkansas 1819-1825 |date=1953 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=546–550 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044032317042&view=1up&seq=9 |access-date=January 5, 2023 |quote='''Acting Governor Crittenden to the Secretary of War'''... The Cherokee Indians have returned from Washington discontented and untractable... I announced to them that since their Lands had been allotted... they would be expected to remove to them; and confine themselves at least in agricultural pursuits to their own soil; they in reply said we had no right to the sovereignty of the soil on the South side of the Arkansas, and that they would NOT remove, that they were the tenants of the Choctaws, and not of the Government, and should consult them, not us, on the subject.}} Crittenden's latter is dated September 28, 1823.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Treaty of Council Oaks |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/treaty-of-council-oaks-4833/ |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |publisher=Central Arkansas Library System |access-date=January 5, 2023 |quote=Although this meeting is referred to as the “Treaty of Council Oaks,” it was actually not a treaty-making event. Crittenden, who did not in any event have the authority to initiate treaties with Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government without direction from Washington DC, supported the popular desire among non-Indians in the territory to see all Indian lands opened for white settlement and all tribes removed from the territory as soon as possible.}}</ref>

Some Cherokee remained on their farms south of the river, the group identifying itself as [[Black Dutch (genealogy)|Black Dutch]], intermarrying and assimilating with the area's white settlers.<ref>{{harvp|"Gleason"|2017|p= 13}}.</ref>

In 1830, the [[United States Congress]] enacted the [[Indian Removal Act]], leading to further, forcible Cherokee settlement from the Southeast into the Arkansas River Valley. Cherokee, [[Creek (tribe)|Muskogee (Creek)]], and [[Seminole]] were forcibly removed along the [[Trail of Tears]] through Yell County to Indian Territory (present-day [[Oklahoma]]).

Yell County was taken by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union forces]] in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] in October 1862. A [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] force of approximately 1,500 tried to retake Dardanelle in January 1865, failing after a four-hour battle. [[First Sergeant]] [[William Ellis (Medal of Honor)|William Ellis]] of the [[3rd Wisconsin Cavalry]] received a [[Medal of Honor]] for holding his position despite multiple wounds.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|949|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|930|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|19|sqmi}} (2.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_05.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Pope County, Arkansas|Pope County]] (north)
* [[Conway County, Arkansas|Conway County]] (northeast)
* [[Perry County, Arkansas|Perry County]] (east)
* [[Garland County, Arkansas|Garland County]] (southeast)
* [[Montgomery County, Arkansas|Montgomery County]] (south)
* [[Scott County, Arkansas|Scott County]] (west)
* [[Logan County, Arkansas|Logan County]] (northwest)

===National protected areas===
* [[Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)
* [[Ouachita National Forest]] (part)
* [[Ozark National Forest]] (part)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 3341
|1860= 6333
|1870= 8048
|1880= 13852
|1890= 18015
|1900= 22750
|1910= 26323
|1920= 25655
|1930= 21313
|1940= 20970
|1950= 14057
|1960= 11940
|1970= 14208
|1980= 17026
|1990= 17759
|2000= 21139
|2010= 22185
|2020= 20263
|estyear=2023
|estimate=20044
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 30, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ar190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name="USCensusEst2021" /> 2020 <ref name="USCensusEst2021" />
}}
[[File:USA Yell County, Arkansas age pyramid.svg|thumb|left|150px|Age pyramid Yell County<ref>Based on [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] data</ref>]]

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Yell County racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US05149&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 14,710
| 72.6%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 226
| 1.12%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 111
| 0.55%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 202
| 1.0%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 11
| 0.05%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 799
| 3.94%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 4,204
| 20.75%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 20,263 people, 7,503 households, and 5,542 families residing in the county.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> there were 21,139 people, 7,922 households, and 5,814 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|23|/sqmi|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|abbr=out}}. There were 9,157 housing units at an average density of {{convert|10|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=out}}. The racial makeup of the county was 86.63% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 1.47% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.58% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.69% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 8.99% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.62% from two or more races. 12.73% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 12.00% reported speaking Spanish at home.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=5&county_id=149&mode=geographic&order=r|title=Language Map Data Center}}</ref>

There were 7,922 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,916, and the median income for a family was $33,409. Males had a median income of $23,172 versus $18,148 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,383. About 11.70% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.20% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

==Human resources==

===Public safety===
{{See also|Sheriffs in the United States#Arkansas}}
The [[Yell County Sheriff's Office]] is the primary law enforcement agency in the county. The agency is led by the Yell County Sheriff, an official elected by countywide vote every four years. Police departments in Dardanelle, Danville, and Ola provide law enforcement in their respective jurisdictions, with Bellville, Havana, and Plainview contracting with the Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services.

The current sheriff of Yell County is Nick Gault. Gault was elected to office in the 2022 General Election.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Sean |title=Gault to become next Yell County sheriff |url=https://www.couriernews.com/news/gault-to-become-next-yell-county-sheriff/article_3be81314-6278-55e7-aee6-bb7127e2b4a2.html |access-date=January 1, 2023 |website=The Courier |language=en}}</ref>

The chief officer of the law in Yell County, as in all Arkansas counties, is the [[Sheriffs in the United States#Arkansas|sheriff]].
{{Hidden begin|titlestyle=background:#ccccff;|title=Yell County Sheriffs, 1840-Present}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Yell County Sheriffs<ref>Yell County Court House Records</ref>
!Name
!Year Elected
!Year Left
!Total Years
!Notable Accomplishments
|-
|Theodore P Sadler
|1840
|1846
|6
|
* First county sheriff
|-
|S. Kirkpatrick
|1846
|1852
|6
|
|-
|Joseph Garrett
|1852
|1854
|2
|
|-
|J. C. Herin
|1854
|1856
|2
|
|-
|Joseph Gault
|1856
|1862
|6
|
|-
|Lorenzo Free
|1862
|1863
|1
|
|-
|O. Wood
|1863
|1864
|1
|
|-
|William Henry Ferguson
|1864
|1871
|7
|
|-
|Jesse George
|1871
|1872
|1
|
|-
|J. A. Wilson
|1872
|1874
|2
|
|-
|Reuben E. Cole
|1874
|1880
|6
|
|-
|Levi L. Briggs
|1880
|1882
|2
|
|-
|Joseph L. Davis
|1882
|1886
|4
|
|-
|H. B. McCarrell
|1886
|1890
|4
|
|-
|Joseph Haston Howard
|1890
|1892
|2
|
|-
|Sam Gordon Albright
|1892
|1896
|4
|
|-
|B. H. Burnett
|1896
|1900
|6
|
|-
|James M. Cole
|1900
|1904
|4
|
|-
|William Franklin Briggs
|1904
|1906
|2
|
|-
|William L. Tatum
|1906
|1910
|4
|
|-
|Theodore Riley Gault
|1910
|1914
|4
|
|-
|Will T. Caviness
|1914
|1919
|5
|
|-
|J. N. George
|1919
|1923
|4
|
|-
|Joe D. Gault
|1923
|1926
|3
|
|-
|Baxter Gatlin
|1927
|1930
|3
|
|-
|Buford Compton
|1931
|1946
|15
|
|-
|Earl E Lad
|1947
|1956
|9
|
|-
|Herman D. McCormick
|1957
|1968
|11
|
|-
|Carlos Mitchell
|1969
|1976
|7
|
* Construction of the old Danville Jail (Replaced in 2016)
* Construction of the old Dardanelle Jail (Replaced in 2016)
|-
|Hartsell Lewis
|1977
|1978
|1
|
|-
|Denver Dennis
|1979
|1988
|9
|
|-
|Mike May
|1989
|1992
|3
|
|-
|Loyd W. Maughn
|1993
|1998
|5
|
* Construction of Juvenile Detention Center (1997)
|-
|Bill Gilkey
|1999
|March 31, 2022
|23 Years 3 Months
|
* Construction of New Law Enforcement Center and Jail (2016)
* Longest serving sheriff in Yell Count (2017)
* Longest current serving sheriff in the state of Arkansas (2017)
In 2017, he became the longest currently-serving sheriff in Arkansas, after 19 years in the office. He is also the longest-serving sheriff in the county's history. Gilkey has sat on state boards such as the Arkansas Crime Lab Board and Arkansas Act 309 Board.

Gilkey is credited with the creation of the Yell County Law Enforcement Center in 2016, which replaces two of the county's older jails that did not meet state standards, and houses the sheriff's office. The new building also houses CID offices, revenue office, and an updated E911 dispatch center.

|-
|Heath Tate
|April 1, 2022
|December 2022
|9 Months
|
* Interim Sheriff after Gilkey's retirement in March 2022.

|-
|Nick Gault
|2023
|Present
|
|}
{{Hidden end}}

==Culture and contemporary life==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction= horizontal |width1= 125 |width2= 142 |footer=Two homes listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Yell County, Arkansas|National Register of historic Places]] in Yell County: the [[Thomas James Cotton House]] in Dardanelle (left) and the [[Mitchell House (Waltreak, Arkansas)|Mitchell House]] in rural [[Waltreak, Arkansas|Waltreak]] |image1= Thomas_James_Cotton_House,_Dardanelle,_AR.JPG |image2= Mitchell_House,_Waltreak,_AR.JPG |alt1= Photo of a stately one and a half-story craftsman-style home sits among mature trees behind a manicured lawn |alt2= Photo of a blue one-story dogtrot-style house with enclosed breezeway sits behind overgrown trees, shrubs and grass }}
{{Main|Culture of Arkansas}}
Yell County has several historical homes, structures, and monuments dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the area. The [[Dardanelle Commercial Historic District]] preserves the historic commercial hub of Yell County along the Arkansas River. The [[Mt. Nebo State Park Cabins Historic District]] preserves ten cabins built by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] in the 1930s. The county also has seven homes, three churches, and two bridges listed on the NRHP.

Upon settlement, Yell County's varied topography created a stratified society, splitting settlers between the more fertile and productive farms of the "lowlands" and the [[subsistence farm]]ing of the steep and less-productive mountain soil of the "uplands".<ref name="harvp|Gleason|2017|p= 20">{{harvp|"Gleason"|2017|p= 20}}.</ref> A [[planter class]] emerged in the lowlands, and as Dardanelle evolved into a cohesive community, the large landowners moved to town and managed their landholdings from stately homes, similar to the model seen in the [[Arkansas Delta]] and the [[Mississippi Delta]].<ref name="harvp|Gleason|2017|p= 20"/> This left the lowlands inhabited largely by poor [[sharecroppers]] and [[tenant farming|tenant farmers]], who largely shared economic fortunes with the small farms in the uplands, shifting the "upland/lowland" split to a "town-country" divide based largely on economics.

{{See also|Gilded Age#The South}}
As mechanization and society evolved and Arkansas became less of a [[American frontier|frontier]], a wealthy upper class emerged in Dardanelle that came to wield societal, political, and economic power in the county. This society remained relatively closed, with separate social events and often summering on Mount Nebo with other wealthy Arkansans visiting to enjoy the cool mountain breezes.<ref>{{harvp|"Gleason"|2017|pp= 82-84}}.</ref> With little of the [[industrialization]] that defined the [[Gilded Age]] in the [[Northeast United States|Northeast]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], Yell County instead retained an adjusted [[Old South]] economic model based on agriculture but adapted to a post-[[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]] reality.<ref>{{harvp|"Gleason"|2017|p= 85}}.</ref>

==Government==
[[File:Yell County Courthouse 002.jpg|left|thumb|Yell County Eastern District Courthouse in Dardanelle]]
{{See also|County government in Arkansas|County judge|Quorum Court}}
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the [[Constitution of Arkansas]] and the [[Arkansas Code]]. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called ''justices of the peace'' and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Yell County Quorum Court has eleven members.<ref>{{ cite web |title= Yell County |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/yell/ |location= Little Rock |publisher= Arkansas Association of Counties |access-date= June 7, 2020 }}</ref> Presiding over quorum court meetings is the ''county judge'', who serves as the [[chief operating officer]] of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.<ref>{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Quorum Courts |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=6348 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= [[Butler Center for Arkansas Studies]] at the [[Central Arkansas Library System]] |date= March 24, 2014 |last= Teske |first= Steven |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Office of County Judge |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5720 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System |date= August 28, 2015 |last= Goss |first= Kay C. |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}</ref> Though Yell County has two county seats, the constitutional officers are not duplicated, with duties split between the two courthouses.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Yell County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-10 |title=Elected County Offices / Officials - Yell County AR |url=https://yellcountyar.gov/elected-county-offices-officials/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Yell {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/yell/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=www.arcounties.org}}</ref><ref>https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf</ref>
!Position
!Officeholder
!Party
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|County Judge
|Jeff Gilkey
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|County/Circuit Clerk
|Anna Ward
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Sheriff
|Nick Gault
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Treasurer
|Debra Craig
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Collector
|Christie Davis
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Assessor
|Sherry Hicks
|Republican
|-
|Coroner
|Tel Millard
|(Unknown)
|}
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Yell County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Yell_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>

* District 1: Brent Montgomery (R)
* District 2: Greg Dixon (R)
* District 3: Richard Padgett (R)
* District 4: Steven Payton (R)
* District 5: Robert Caldwell (R)
* District 6: Mike Taylor (R)
* District 7: James Brown (R)
* District 8: Carl Cross (R)
* District 9: Jeffrey Lewis (R)
* District 10: Tony Sigle (R)
* District 11: Jimmy Davenport (R)

Additionally, the townships of Johnson County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the [[Constitution of Arkansas]]. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Constable? |url=https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/ced-blog/posts/2022/may/what-is-a-constable.aspx |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=What is a Constable? |language=en}}</ref> The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref name=":1" />

* Crawford: William H. Gossett Jr. (Independent)
* Danville: Bradley Apple (R)
* Dardanelle: Gary Dennis (R)
* Ferguson: Kenneth Jackson (R)
* Magazine 1: Marty Weatherford (R)
* Riley: David Campbell (R)
* Ward: Ritchie Tippin (R)

===Politics===
Over the past few election cycles Yell County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry this county was native Arkansan [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996.
{{PresHead|place=Yell County, Arkansas|source=<ref name="DL">{{cite web|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|5,147|1,213|117|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|5,226|1,284|231|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|4,608|1,480|351|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|4,042|1,722|210|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|3,808|2,003|225|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|3,678|2,913|68|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|3,223|3,062|194|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|2,111|3,749|784|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|2,506|4,165|972|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|3,535|2,763|33|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|4,051|2,679|72|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|3,187|3,702|248|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|1,932|5,785|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,310|1,669|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|1,819|1,513|1,949|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,527|3,407|14|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|1,303|2,008|122|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|1,381|2,008|4|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,243|1,884|17|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|408|1,866|147|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|489|1,642|1|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|224|2,236|7|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|318|2,382|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|272|2,010|8|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|802|2,086|13|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|334|1,314|96|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,042|1,925|79|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|781|2,099|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|436|1,401|701|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|1,040|1,743|214|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|913|1,079|68|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|798|1,554|14|Arkansas}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Democratic|812|2,261|12|Arkansas}}

==Education==

===Public education===
Early childhood, elementary and secondary education within Yell County is provided by four public school districts:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st05_ar/schooldistrict_maps/c05149_yell/DC20SD_C05149.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Yell County, AR|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 16, 2024}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st05_ar/schooldistrict_maps/c05149_yell/DC20SD_C05149_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
* [[Danville School District (Arkansas)|Danville School District]]
* [[Dardanelle School District]]
* [[Two Rivers School District]]—formed in 2004 by the consolidation of the former Fourche Valley School District, Ola School District, Perry–Casa School District, and Plainview–Rover School District.
* [[Western Yell County School District]]—formed in 1985 by the consolidation of the former Belleville School District and Havana School District.

=== Dissolved school districts ===
* [[Fourche Valley School District]]
* [[Ola School District]]
* [[Perry–Casa School District]]
* [[Plainview-Rover School District]]
* [[Havana School District]]
* [[Belleville School District]]
* Carden Bottoms School District

===Public libraries===
The Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System, is headquartered in Dardanelle and serves multiple counties and consists of one central library and six branch libraries, including the Yell County Library, a branch library in Danville.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arvrls.com/member-libraries/yell-county/|title=Yell County|publisher=Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System|access-date=March 16, 2024}}</ref>

==Communities==

===Cities===
* [[Belleville, Arkansas|Belleville]]
* [[Danville, Arkansas|Danville]] (county seat)
* [[Dardanelle, Arkansas|Dardanelle]] (county seat)
* [[Havana, Arkansas|Havana]]
* [[Ola, Arkansas|Ola]]
* [[Plainview, Arkansas|Plainview]]

===Town===
* [[Corinth, Arkansas|Corinth]]

===Census-designated places===
* [[Centerville, Yell County, Arkansas|Centerville]]
* [[Rover, Arkansas|Rover]]

===Unincorporated communities===
* [[Alpha, Arkansas|Alpha]]
* [[Aly, Arkansas|Aly]]
* [[Ard, Arkansas|Ard]]
* [[Bluffton, Arkansas|Bluffton]]
* [[Briggsville, Arkansas|Briggsville]]
* [[Chickalah, Arkansas|Chickalah]]
* [[Goodie Gorn Creek]]
* [[Gravelly, Arkansas|Gravelly]]
* [[Mount George, Arkansas|Mount George]]
* [[New Neely, Arkansas|New Neely]]
* [[Onyx, Arkansas|Onyx]]
* [[Pleasant Hill, Yell County, Arkansas|Pleasant Hill]]
* [[Shark, Arkansas|Shark]]
* [[Sulphur Springs, Yell County, Arkansas|Sulphur Springs]]
* [[Wing, Arkansas|Wing]]

===Townships===
{{Arkansas Townships About|County = Yell}}
<ref>{{Cite map |publisher=U. S. Census Bureau |title=2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Yell County, AR |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/pvs/bas/bas11/st05_ar/cou/c05149_yell/BAS11C20514900000_000.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019170920/http://www2.census.gov/geo/pvs/bas/bas11/st05_ar/cou/c05149_yell/BAS11C20514900000_000.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |access-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/block/2010/cousub/dc10blk_st05_cousub.html#Y |title=Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps – County Subdivision |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 29, 2014}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* Birta
* Bluffton
* Briggsville
* Centerville
* Chula
* Compton
* Crawford
* Danville ([[Corinth, Arkansas|Corinth]], [[Danville, Arkansas|Danville]])
* Dardanelle ([[Dardanelle, Arkansas|Dardanelle]])
* Dutch Creek
* Ferguson ([[Belleville, Arkansas|Belleville]])
* Galla Rock
* Gilkey
* Gravelly Hill
* Herring
* Ions Creek
* Lamar ([[Plainview, Arkansas|Plainview]])
* Magazine
* Mason
* Mountain
* Prairie
* Richland
* Riley ([[Havana, Arkansas|Havana]])
* Rover
* Sulphur Springs
* Ward ([[Ola, Arkansas|Ola]])
* Waveland
{{div col end}}

==Infrastructure==
===Major highways===
* [[File:Arkansas 7.svg|20px]] [[Highway 7 (Arkansas)|Highway 7]]
* [[File:Arkansas 10.svg|20px]] [[Highway 10 (Arkansas)|Highway 10]]
* [[File:Arkansas 27.svg|20px]] [[Highway 27 (Arkansas)|Highway 27]]
* [[File:Arkansas 28.svg|20px]] [[Highway 28 (Arkansas)|Highway 28]]
* [[File:Arkansas 60.svg|20px]] [[Highway 60 (Arkansas)|Highway 60]]
* [[File:Arkansas 80.svg|20px]] [[Highway 80 (Arkansas)|Highway 80]]
* [[File:Arkansas 154.svg|25px]] [[Highway 154 (Arkansas)|Highway 154]]

== Notable people ==
* [[Ray R. Allen]] (1920–2010), [[public official]] in [[Alexandria, Louisiana]], was born in Yell County
* [[John Daly (golfer)|John Daly]], professional golfer
* [[Arthur Hunnicutt]], [[Academy Award]]-nominated Western Actor
* [[WTVT|Kelly Ring]], WTVT news anchor
* [[Johnny Sain]], Major League Baseball player
* [[William L. Spicer]], Republican state chairman, 1962–1964, was born in Yell County, but owned a chain of drive-in theaters in [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]
* Cousins [[Jim Walkup (left-handed pitcher)]], and [[Jim Walkup (right-handed pitcher)]], MLB pitchers
* [[James Lee Witt]], former [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]] Director
* [[Henry C. Bruton]], Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, born in Belleville, Arkansas in 1905
* [[Jacob Lofland]], American actor
* [[Timothy Balarabe]], jazz musician

==See also==
* [[List of lakes in Yell County, Arkansas]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Yell County, Arkansas]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}
* {{ cite book |last=Gleason |first=Mildred Diane |publisher= [[The University of Arkansas Press]] |title= Dardanelle and the Bottoms: Environment, Agriculture, and Economy in an Arkansas River Community, 1819-1970 |location= Fayetteville |year=2017 |isbn=9781682260388 |lccn= 2017932453 |ref={{harvid|"Gleason"|2017}} }} 
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://yellcounty.net/ Yell County official website] 
* [http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=816 Yell County, Arkansas] entry on the [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture]]

{{Geographic location|Centre = Yell County
| North=[[Logan County, Arkansas|Logan County]]
| Northeast=[[Pope County, Arkansas|Pope County]]
| East=[[Conway County, Arkansas|Conway County]]<br />[[Perry County, Arkansas|Perry County]]
| Southeast=[[Perry County, Arkansas|Perry County]]
| South=[[Montgomery County, Arkansas|Montgomery County]]<br />[[Garland County, Arkansas|Garland County]]
| Southwest=[[Montgomery County, Arkansas|Montgomery County]]
| West=[[Scott County, Arkansas|Scott County]]
| Northwest=[[Logan County, Arkansas|Logan County]]
}}

{{Yell County, Arkansas}}
{{Arkansas}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|34|59|54|N|93|27|09|W|region:US-AR_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Yell County, Arkansas| ]]
[[Category:1840 establishments in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1840]]
[[Category:Russellville, Arkansas micropolitan area]]