Community History


Benton County is a growing metropolitan area and home to many major companies including Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., J.B. Hunt and Tyson Foods. The area’s rich heritage has contributed to making Bentonville and Bella Vista thriving communities today.

Arkansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase obtained from France in 1802. Arkansas was called Missouri Territory until 1819 when it became Arkansas Territory.

Bentonville was founded in 1836 and named in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. senator from Missouri. Benton was responsible for helping Arkansas attain statehood in 1836. Bentonville was the first town established in Benton County and the downtown Square became the place for commerce and entertainment.

In 1838, shortly after Benton County was established, Cherokee Indians from Georgia were forced to walk what has become known as “The Trail of Tears” through Benton County enroute to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma

In 1858, the Butterfield Stagecoach Line, encompassing 2,812 miles and running from St. Louis to San Francisco, established stops at the Elkhorn Tavern near Pea Ridge and Callahan Springs.

In March 1862, the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi was fought about 15 miles northeast of Bentonville. During the Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), the Union Army was able to force the Confederates back, allowing them control of Missouri for the next two years. During the Civil War many of the buildings in Bentonville were burned. Business buildings around the Square were built after this and many still remain today.

By the end of the Civil War, apples put Benton County on the map. In 1901, Benton County was the largest apple-producing county in the nation with more than 300 varieties coming just from Bentonville alone.

In 1921 large-scale broiler chicken production began in Benton County where the county was ranked as the largest egg producing county in Arkansas. The 1930s brought continued grow for the poultry and dairy industry. In 1950 Sam Walton opened Walton’s 5 & 10 on the Bentonville Square. Bentonville has continued to grow into a thriving business and manufacturing community with a population of approximately 30,000.

The Bella Vista community began in 1915 when the Rev. William S. Baker and his wife, Mary, converted their land into a summer resort. They later sold the resort to the Linebarger Brothers who began building facilities to attract vacationers.

In 1920 the first golf course was built in Bella Vista, increasing the attractiveness of the area for recreation and retirement. A year later the world's largest night club constructed underground in a natural cave, Wonderland Underground Nightclub opened. The club was 500 feet underground and had a large, naturally vaulted chamber with a concrete dance floor.

In 1964 the property was sold to John A. Cooper, Sr., of Cooper Industries, Inc. Believing that people were retiring earlier with more income and wanted a development with good living and recreational facilities, Cooper used the land and amenities for various functions for his retirement project, Bella Vista Village.

From May 1965, when the first lots were sold, until 1995, Cooper Industries, Inc., sold 37,060 lots or home sites, and built hundreds of homes. In 2006, Bella Vista Village incorporated becoming the city of Bella Vista.

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