Jump to content

Yell County, Arkansas: Difference between revisions

From Niidae Wiki
→Politics: Capitalisation
 
(No difference)

Latest revision as of 08:48, 7 May 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Yell County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,263.<ref name="USCensusEst2021">Template:Cite web</ref> The county has two county seats, Dardanelle and Danville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</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 micropolitan statistical Area. Yell County is a dry county as alcohol is prohibited.

History

[edit]

Template:See also Native Americans first inhabited present-day Yell County and the Arkansas River Valley for thousands of years prior to 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 along the Arkansas River, including in Yell County, between 1775 and 1786. A large 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 rivers.<ref>Template:Harvp.</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 Template:Convert 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>Template:Cite book 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>Template:Cite book Crittenden's latter is dated September 28, 1823.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Some Cherokee remained on their farms south of the river, the group identifying itself as Black Dutch, intermarrying and assimilating with the area's white settlers.<ref>Template:Harvp.</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, 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 forces in the Civil War in October 1862. A Confederate force of approximately 1,500 tried to retake Dardanelle in January 1865, failing after a four-hour battle. First Sergeant William Ellis of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry received a Medal of Honor for holding his position despite multiple wounds.

Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

[edit]

National protected areas

[edit]

Demographics

[edit]

Template:US Census population

File:USA Yell County, Arkansas age pyramid.svg
Age pyramid Yell County<ref>Based on 2000 census data</ref>

2020 census

[edit]
Yell County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 14,710 72.6%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 226 1.12%
Native American 111 0.55%
Asian 202 1.0%
Pacific Islander 11 0.05%
Other/Mixed 799 3.94%
Hispanic or 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

[edit]

As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 21,139 people, 7,922 households, and 5,814 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 9,157 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 86.63% White, 1.47% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.99% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 12.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.00% reported speaking Spanish at home.<ref>Template:Cite web</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

[edit]

Public safety

[edit]

Template:See also 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>Template:Cite web</ref>

The chief officer of the law in Yell County, as in all Arkansas counties, is the sheriff. Template:Hidden begin

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

Template:Hidden end

Culture and contemporary life

[edit]

Template:Multiple image Template:Main 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 farming of the steep and less-productive mountain soil of the "uplands".<ref name="harvp|Gleason|2017|p= 20">Template:Harvp.</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 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.

Template:See also As mechanization and society evolved and Arkansas became less of a 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>Template:Harvp.</ref> With little of the industrialization that defined the Gilded Age in the Northeast and Midwest, Yell County instead retained an adjusted Old South economic model based on agriculture but adapted to a post-Reconstruction reality.<ref>Template:Harvp.</ref>

Government

[edit]
File:Yell County Courthouse 002.jpg
Yell County Eastern District Courthouse in Dardanelle

Template:See also 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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Though Yell County has two county seats, the constitutional officers are not duplicated, with duties split between the two courthouses.

Yell County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf</ref>
Position Officeholder Party
County Judge Jeff Gilkey Republican
County/Circuit Clerk Anna Ward Republican
Sheriff Nick Gault Republican
Treasurer Debra Craig Republican
Collector Christie Davis Republican
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">Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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

[edit]

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. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

Education

[edit]

Public education

[edit]

Early childhood, elementary and secondary education within Yell County is provided by four public school districts:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Dissolved school districts

[edit]

Public libraries

[edit]

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>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

[edit]

Cities

[edit]

Town

[edit]

Census-designated places

[edit]

Unincorporated communities

[edit]

Townships

[edit]

Template:Arkansas Townships About <ref>Template:Cite map</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Div col

  • Birta
  • Bluffton
  • Briggsville
  • Centerville
  • Chula
  • Compton
  • Crawford
  • Danville (Corinth, Danville)
  • Dardanelle (Dardanelle)
  • Dutch Creek
  • Ferguson (Belleville)
  • Galla Rock
  • Gilkey
  • Gravelly Hill
  • Herring
  • Ions Creek
  • Lamar (Plainview)
  • Magazine
  • Mason
  • Mountain
  • Prairie
  • Richland
  • Riley (Havana)
  • Rover
  • Sulphur Springs
  • Ward (Ola)
  • Waveland

Template:Div col end

Infrastructure

[edit]

Major highways

[edit]

Notable people

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Template:Reflist

Template:Refbegin

Template:Refend

[edit]

Template:Geographic location

Template:Yell County, Arkansas Template:Arkansas Template:Authority control

Template:Coord

Retrieved from "https://wiki.niidae.com/index.php?title=Yell_County,_Arkansas&oldid=71160"