Russellville, Arkansas

History

Settlement

Before the town was named Russellville, its vicinity was known as Chactas Prairie, the Prairie, or Cactus Flats. Located on the southern edge of the Ozark Mountains and north of the Arkansas River, this setting was an ideal settlement area.

Throughout the 18th century into the early 19th century, seasonal movements of the seminomadic Osage Indians from western Missouri brought them annually into Arkansas, including the valley where Russellville is now located. Between 1815 and 1828, the area was within a Cherokee reservation. Under a new treaty concluded on May 6, 1828, the western boundary of Arkansas was established, with seven million acres west of Arkansas in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) provided to the Cherokees "forever". The Cherokees agreed to leave the Arkansas lands within 14 months.

The first house in what is now Russellville, a one-and-a-half-story, hand-hewn log house, was built by J.C. Holledger in 1834 and purchased the next year by Dr. Thomas Russell. One of the first businesses to be established in the town was a store opened in the 1840s by brothers James Madison and Benjamin "BDR" Shinn. In 1852, with a cash capital of $500, Benjamin's son, Jacob Shinn established one of the first general stores—just down the road from the log home of Thomas Russell—in an 18 by 24 ft building. Shinn replaced the wood structure store with a masonry structure, a building completed in 1876 and which, still standing today, is known as the Shinn Building. It was built at the junction of an east–west road from Lewisburg to Clarksville and a north–south road between Dover and the military road crossing at Norristown on the Arkansas River. The intersection is now West Main Street and Denver Avenue (formerly River Street). Before the construction of the masonry building, the existing store was moved to the back of Shinn's property and during construction continued in operation.

Antebellum period

According to tradition in the 1840s, the choice of a name for the community of five homes and a store was between Russellville—for Thomas Russell, who had the first home in the area and was a doctor—and Shinnville—for Jacob L. Shinn, who established the community's first store. However, Russellville was actually named about 1842 when Jacob was a teen. Russellville is listed on mail routes in requests for proposals for carrying the mail in 1842, when Shinn was 15, and in 1846, when he was 19, so naming the community after Jacob would have been quite unlikely. However, in the 1840s, his uncle, James Madison Shinn, and father, B. D. R. Shinn, operated a store in the small frontier community, so any truth in the naming tradition may apply to them.

A post office was established as early as the early 1840s based on request for mail route proposals and certainly by 1854.

American Civil War

As with the war with Mexico in the 1840s, many men of Russellville served in the state's military forces during the American Civil War. Local men served in the state forces early in the war, with many transferring to Confederate regiments by 1862. Several local men were also formed into at least two pro-Union companies. No great battles occurred in or near Russellville, though actions did take place late in the war at nearby Dardanelle (Yell County). While the war came to an official end in 1865, peace did not immediately return to the area. Many areas of Pope County were disrupted in the early 1870s by the turmoil of what came to be known as the Pope County Militia War.

Reconstruction era

The town grew slowly, but during the early 1870s, the railroad was built, and the town expanded commercially and experienced a boom in population. It connected Russellville to other towns in the area and ran eventually from Ft. Smith to Little Rock, connecting other river valley towns such as Morrilton, Conway, Atkins, and London, and facilitating trade among them. Russellville's first newspaper, the Herald, was founded in 1870. By 1876, the town boasted a population around 800 served by 15 stores, two cotton gins, and six physicians.

Incorporation as a city

On June 7, 1870, Russellville became an incorporated city. Incorporation prompted a debate on moving the county seat, located in Dover since 1841, to one of two growing business centers adjacent to the new tracks. An act to move the county seat passed in the General Assembly in 1873 but was repealed during a special session of the General Assembly in 1874. On March 19, 1887, an election was held on whether to move the county seat to Russellville or to Atkins. Russellville was selected by a margin of 128 votes out of 2,670 total votes cast. The question on moving the county seat had also gone to the voters nearly a decade earlier on September 2, 1878, but the results were overturned in the courts.

While formal education came to the Russellville area early with the founding of nearby Dwight Mission in 1820, most early schools were either private or by subscription. The Russellville Public School District was formed in 1870, the year the city was incorporated. By 1876, it had evolved into a nine-month school. By 1890, about 400 students attended in 10 grades, and in 1893, the first class to attend through 12 grades graduated.

Most 19th-century residents of the area farmed for a living, or with the coming of the railroad, harvested timber. By the end of the century, Russellville and the surrounding area had become a prosperous coal-mining area, with the Ouita Coal Company being the first established. Other coal companies followed with deep mine shafts sunk north and south of town, which by the 1950s, had given way to strip mining. Cotton became a profitable crop near Russellville; in the early 20th century, bales were sold from wagons in the middle of Main Street. Today, no coal is mined, and the cotton gins are gone.

20th century

In 1906, the town suffered a massive fire in its central business district. The fire consumed nearly half of the buildings, but they were quickly rebuilt, most within six months after the fire.

What today is Arkansas Tech University (ATU) in Russellville was established in 1910 as the Second District Agricultural School—a four-year high school. The school evolved over the years, adding two years of college courses in the 1920s and dropping the high school courses at the end of the 1929–1930 academic year with the school's name changed to Arkansas Polytechnic College in 1925. Its name was changed to Arkansas Tech University in 1976.

On February 11, 1930, the Russellville City Council passed an ordinance renaming the city's streets. The ordinance established a logical order for street names and went into effect on April 1, 1930.

With America's entry into World War II, many Russellville men enlisted or were drafted into the military. Many of the local men served in the 153rd Infantry. Battery D and Battery F of the 206th Coast Artillery Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard were initially stationed at ATU. Many of the men saw service in Alaska in what is known as the Williwaw War.

After the war, the construction of Interstate 40 in 1956 sparked Russelville's growth. The highway has been a boon to the area's growth, much like the railroad was in the 1870s. A major economic boost came as a result of the completion of a dam near the Arkansas River crossing between Dardanelle and Russellville in 1965. The dam created a lake, which led to the establishment of Lake Dardanelle State Park, a major tourist attraction in the area. The completion of the lock and power dam, a part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which brings in between $1 and $2 billion in trade to the state each year, has greatly improved the area's business prospects. During the 1970s, the town, like so many other small American towns, witnessed the decentralization of its historic downtown area, due to the advent of large retail outlets such as Walmart. Many of the historic buildings were left to decay or were torn down. Also in the 1970s, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant, Arkansas Nuclear One, was built just outside the city, on Lake Dardanelle. The plant brought more people and jobs to the city.

2024 solar eclipse

Russellville was listed in the top ten places to see the eclipse by Astronomy magazine in 2021. The city hosted a large event, "Moon over Main", during the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. The city spent over fifteen months planning for the event, which hosted food trucks, music, and other entertainment. The city saw an influx of nearly 60,000 visitors from 48 states and 12 countries. Nearly 300 couples were married in a mass wedding in a soccer field. Members of the Paris Observatory, NASA, and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center travelled to attend. NASA designated it their home base for the eclipse. The city received four minutes and eleven seconds of totality. Visitors did not impact traffic, but did greatly increase sales at local businesses. Many came from Texas due to cloudy weather predictions.

Geography

Russellville is located at (35.278429, -93.136820). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 sqmi, of which 0.04 sqmi (0.08%) is covered by water. It is located on the Arkansas River.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Russellville has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

|Jan record high F = 82 |Feb record high F = 89 |Mar record high F = 95 |Apr record high F = 100 |May record high F = 100 |Jun record high F = 109 |Jul record high F = 113 |Aug record high F = 115 |Sep record high F = 110 |Oct record high F = 99 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 81 |year record high F = 115 |Jan record low F = −11 |Feb record low F = −15 |Mar record low F = −7 |Apr record low F = 24 |May record low F = 32 |Jun record low F = 37 |Jul record low F = 49 |Aug record low F = 47 |Sep record low F = 32 |Oct record low F = 23 |Nov record low F = 10 |Dec record low F = −3 |year record low F = -15 | access-date = June 19, 2021}} | access-date = June 19, 2021}}

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 28,940 people, 10,184 households, and 5,858 families resided in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, 27,920 people, 10,318 households, and 6,383 families lived in the city. The population density was 987.4 PD/sqmi. The 11,124 housing units had an average density of 393.4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 83.2% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 6.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. About 11.7% of the population were Hispanic and Latino Americans of any race.

Of the 10,318 households, 28.9% had children under 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were not families. Around 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the age distribution was 22.6% under 18, 21.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,234 and for a family was $49,440. Males had a median income of $30,133 versus $19,906 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,637. About 14.5% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under 18 and 9.1% of those 65 or over.

Economy

Arkansas corporations Tyson Foods, Inc. and Innovation Industries Elevator Signal Fixtures are among the nearly 50 manufacturing plants employing more than 8,300 people. Overall, more than ten10 divisions of Fortune 500 companies are located in Russellville. A diverse manufacturing base is located in the city. including frozen dinners, railroad crossties, elevator signal fixtures, parking meters, aluminum foil, graphite electrodes, microplanes, and aircraft and automotive parts.

Media

Russellville's local newspaper is The Courier, which is published six days a week (every day except Monday).

ABOUT the River Valley magazine, a monthly publication distributed across five counties (Pope, Yell, Johnson, Conway, and Logan) of the Arkansas River Valley region, is based in Russellville.

TV stations that reach Russellville are either from the Little Rock or Fort Smith/Fayetteville markets, as Russellville is on the "fringe" of both service areas. Russellville receives KFSM-TV (CBS) and KFTA-TV (FOX) from Fort Smith/Fayetteville and KARK-TV (NBC) and KATV-TV (ABC) from Little Rock. The farther away from the city center one is, the likelihood becomes greater that one will receive the full package of channels from one market over the other (Fort Smith/Fayetteville to the west and Little Rock to the east of town).

Several commercial radio stations serve the city, including KWKK-FM 100.9, KARV-AM 610 and KWXT-AM 1490, all of which are licensed to Russellville. In addition, radio stations KCJC-FM 102.3 and KCAB-AM 980 (both licensed to Dardanelle, AR); KVLD-FM 99.3 (licensed to Atkins, AR); KARV-FM 101.3 (licensed to Ola, AR) and KYEL-FM 105.5 (licensed to Danville, AR) have their studios in Russellville.

Also, two noncommercial radio stations operate in Russellville: KMTC-FM 91.1 and KXRJ-FM 91.9 (the radio station licensed to Arkansas Tech University).

Tourism

Russellville is known for its local music, art scene, and historic downtown area events. The most notable of these, on the first Friday night of each quarter (March, June, September, and December), the city hosts the Downtown Art Walk, in which the public may listen to live music, taste wine and food, and appreciate, purchase, and sell art, while connecting with the community, as well as have their picture taken in the Alley.

Russellville hosts a variety of sporting events and fishing tournaments, due to its location on Lake Dardanelle. Russellville is also close to Mt. Nebo and other state parks such as Lake Dardanelle State Park. Also, many people commute to Russellville on a daily basis from its surrounding areas, for both work and recreation.

Balloons over Russellville is a hot-air balloon festival taking place at the Russellville Soccer Complex the first weekend of May annually since 2012. The event features multiple hot-air balloons, helicopter rides, skydiving, live music, vendors, and the Arkansas State Championship Chainsaw Carving Competition.

Russellville is also home to the Pope County Fairgrounds, which hosts many events ranging from horse racing to fairs and conventions. At the end of every summer, Russellville is also host to the annual Pope County Fair, which features rides, live music, livestock, games, and other forms of entertainment. The fair attracts more than 50,000 visitors each year.

Education

Russellville is home to Arkansas Tech University, which was founded in 1909 and as of 2014 had 12,003 students. Russellville is within the Russellville School District, which operates Russellville High School.

In popular culture

In 2013, Russellville was chosen as one of the filming locations for the independent Christian film Cowboys and Jesus. One scene was filmed at Cyclone Stadium, depicting a football game in which locals from the area were invited to attend, appearing as "extras".

Russellville power plant Arkansas Nuclear One was featured in a 2011 episode of Aerial America on the Smithsonian Channel.

Notable people

• Mabel Washbourne Anderson (1863–1949) – writer
• Scott Bradley (1891–1977) – composer, pianist, arranger, and conductor
• Natalie Canerday – actress
• Jeff Davis (1862–1913) – governor of Arkansas and U.S. senator
• Trevor Drown (born 1970) – member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
• Matt Duffield (born 1983) – wrestler and member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
• Jelly Gardner (1895–1977) – baseball player
• Elizabeth Gracen (born 1961) – 1982 Miss America winner
• Brooks Hays (1898–1981) – U.S. representative, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
• Greg Horne (born 1964) – football player
• Gary Johnston (1964–2022) – United States Army major general and commanding general of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command
• Jim Kincaid (1934–2011) – news correspondent
• Andrea Lea (born 1957) – member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas State Auditor
• Jimmy Lile (1933–1991) – bladesmith and president of the Knifemakers' Guild
• Eddie Meador (1937–2023) – football player
• Kerry Shook (born 1962) – minister and author
• Greg Standridge (1967–2017) – member of the Arkansas Senate
• Corliss Wiliamson (born 1973) – basketball player and coach
• Steve Womack (born 1957) – U.S. representative

Gallery

References

References

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