Dardanelle, Arkansas

Dardanelle is a city in northeast Yell County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 4,517 at the 2020 census. Along with Danville, it serves as a county seat for Yell County. It is located near Lake Dardanelle. Dardanelle is part of the Russellville micropolitan statistical area.

History

thumb|left|For nearly four decades (1891-1929), the [[Dardanelle pontoon bridge|bridge between Yell and Pope Counties at the old military road crossing at Dardanelle was the longest pontoon bridge in the U.S. at over 2,200 feet.]]

Dardanelle is one of the oldest cities in the state of Arkansas. Officially incorporated in 1855, Dardanelle celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005. The area had been settled for years before that, though, first being established as a river town in the mid-18th century. It is Yell County's dual county seat, sharing that title with Danville.

The Treaty of Council Oaks was signed on June 24, 1823, on what is now North Front Street beneath two huge oak trees (102 feet high and 400–500 years old). Under orders of President James Monroe, U.S. Army Colonel David Brearley and secretary of Arkansas Territory Robert Crittendon met with Black Fox and several Cherokee leaders to determine boundaries. As a result of the treaty, the Cherokees gave up all of their land in Arkansas south of the Arkansas River. One of the trees was destroyed in the early 1990s in a flood, but the other is still standing. The site is now a city park.

Because of its location on the banks of the Arkansas River, Dardanelle was one of Arkansas's leading towns in the 19th century. Hundreds of barges, steamboats, and other vessels traveled by the town annually. Roughly halfway between the state's two largest cities of Little Rock and Fort Smith, Dardanelle was a transportation and business hub, known as a marketplace for gin, rum, and cotton.

Dardanelle has a history of being one of the state's leading immigration centers that continues to this day. Vast numbers of Czech and German families, including the Ballouns, Vodrazkas, Staneks, and Pfeiffers, came to the town in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and their impact can still be felt. As of 2010, Dardanelle has one of the highest percentages of Hispanics in the state, with over 36% of the town's population Hispanic (up from 21% in 2000).

Merritt Park opened in the late 1990s on the west side of town. It is a large, state-of-the-art park featuring outstanding baseball facilities, a playground, soccer fields, basketball courts, and a walking/jogging trail. The adjacent Dardanelle Community Center opened around the same time, and provides several services for the community.

In the late 19th century, a pontoon bridge between Dardanelle and Russellville replaced ferry service. Spanning 2,208 feet, it was the longest pontoon bridge ever constructed across a moving body of water. The bridge was completely washed out a few times during its nearly 40 years of existence.

The Dardanelle Lock and Dam, constructed in the 1960s as a part of the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System, led to the formation of Lake Dardanelle. It is a source of hydropower and helps regulate river traffic on the Arkansas River. In 2013, it had an operating budget just over $8.9 million.

During the 2019 Arkansas River floods, a levee just south of Dardanelle near Holla Bend failed and broke at 1:00 am on May 31. Over the next few days, water came perilously close to homes, schools, and businesses in the southern part of Dardanelle, but receded before causing any major damage.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Dardanelle racial composition

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 2,368

| 52.42%

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 147

| 3.25%

!scope="row"| Native American

| 24

| 0.53%

!scope="row"| Asian

| 20

| 0.44%

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 2

| 0.04%

!scope="row"| Other or multiracial

| 179

| 3.96%

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 1,777

| 39.34%

As of the 2020 census, Dardanelle had a population of 4,517. There were 1,677 households, including 1,066 families. The median age was 35.4 years; 26.4% of residents were under age 18 and 16.2% were age 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males age 18 and over.

Among households, 37.0% had children under age 18 living in them. Among all households, 40.5% were married-couple households, 18.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 32.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.9% of households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was age 65 or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 4,228 people, 1,605 households, and 1,078 families lived in the city. The population density was . The 1,747 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 75.24% White, 4.64% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 16.65% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. About 21.48% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

In the city, the age distribution was 25.4% under 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,727 and for a family was $30,457. Males had a median income of $21,138 versus $17,370 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,583. About 14.9% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Some of Dardanelle's larger employers include Tyson Foods, Walmart Supercenter, the Dardanelle Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Dardanelle School System, Dardanelle City government, and Chambers Bank, which acquired River Town Bank (formerly the Bank of Dardanelle) in 2019.

Dardanelle is home to the Dardanelle Post-Dispatch. Established in 1853, the newspaper claims to be the oldest weekly newspaper in Arkansas.

Arts and culture

thumb|right|[[Yell County Courthouse in downtown Dardanelle]]

thumb|right|An oil-on-canvas mural, Cotton Growing, Manufacture, and Export, painted in 1939 by [[Ludwig Mactarian is on display in the Dardanelle post office.]]

right|thumb|View of Lake Dardanelle, with reactor at [[Arkansas Nuclear One visible in background]]

thumb|right|Arkansas River Valley Regional Library in Dardanelle

Points of interest

A number of attractions can be found in Dardanelle or its surrounding area, including:

Yell County Courthouse (on the National Register of Historic Places)
Dardanelle Agriculture and Post Office
Dardanelle Rock
Highway 22, designated "True Grit Trail" by Governor Asa Hutchinson on March 20, 2019, is located at the western edge of Dardanelle.

Parks and recreation

Lake Dardanelle
Mount Nebo and Mount Nebo State Park
Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge
Dana Merritt Park
Veterans' Memorial Riverfront Park
Council Oaks Park and Historic Site

Education

Public library

The Arkansas River Valley Regional Library system is based in Dardanelle, which consists of one central library, located at 501 North Front Street, and six branch libraries in other communities, which provide area residents with access to print books, publications, and multimedia content.

Public education

Public elementary and secondary education are provided by Dardanelle School District that leads students to graduate at Dardanelle High School.

Transportation

The Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad (D&R) is one of few remaining short-line railroads in the state. It connects Dardanelle with its larger neighbor on the north bank of the river. Highways 7, 22, 27, and 28 can be found ending or going through Dardanelle. Dardanelle is halfway between the Buffalo River to the north and Hot Springs to the south on Scenic Byway 7.

Sports

The Lion's Den Golf Course
In 1924, Dardanelle hosted minor league baseball. The Dardanelle White Sox played as a member of the six-team, Class D level Western Arkansas League. Dardanelle was defeated by the Russellville Miners in the league finals.

Notable people

William Dale Archerd (1912–1977), a serial killer who killed at least three people with insulin in Northern California, was born in Dardanelle.
Bonnie Brown (1938–2016), a member of the country music group the Browns, was born in Sparkman, Arkansas, but spent most of her adult life in Dardanelle.
Jim R. Caldwell (born 1936), born in Dardanelle in 1936, was the first Republican to serve in the Arkansas State Senate in the 20th century.
Johnny Carpenter (1914–2003), film actor, screenwriter, and producer
Tom Cotton (born 1977), U.S. senator for Arkansas
John Daly (born 1966), golfer, lived in Dardanelle as a child and currently owns a home near there.
Gwendolyn Wilson Fowler (1907–1997), an African-American pharmacist, was the first Black woman licensed in Iowa; she was born in Dardanelle.
Orval Lee Jaggers (1916–2004), Christian minister, writer, and scholar
James Lee Witt (born 1944), former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency