Yell County, Arkansas was created in 1840 divided from parent the counties of Pope and Scott. The county was named for Archibald Yell the 2nd governor of Arkansas. There are two county seats, one in North Yell County, Dardanelle and the other centrally located in Danville. Each location has marriage, probate, real estate and personal property tax records as well as actions of the courts available. Yell County was the setting for Charles Portis novel True Grit, which was later made into a moving starring John Wayne as US Marshall Rooster Cogburn.

Danville, on the banks of the Petit Jean River was first settled in the early 1840's and was incorporated as a town on February 6, 1899. Danville is named after the steamship that plied the Petit Jean in those early years when the river was navigable. Danville is located in West Central Arkansas approximately 70 miles east of Fort Smith and 70 miles west of Little Rock, Arkansas 2 largest communities. Danville is also situated between two US National Forests, The Ozark St. Francis National Forest in the North and the Ouachita National Forest which shares a border with the town in the south.