Silver Mine Near Yellville?

This is a legend that has existed among the residents of Marion County, Arkansas, for many years. Legends are usually very hard to find an original source for, so it is interesting to see in print something one has only heard about. Attached to this legend has been another about the Yocham Silver Dollar that cannot be confirmed. The legend is such in Dillard/Davenport family history that a letter to Frank and Ted Dillard from “cuz” G.W. dated 3-21-41 mentions the silver mine. To quote “Frank what have you found with the MR(?) hope you and Baz can find the silver mine. Let me no if you realy locate anything.”

The article below was another of those "finds" I made that distracted me while doing research for my project.

The Mountain Echo

Wednesday, October 23, 1935

“Back years ago, it was said that an old Indian had made a statement that there was silver enough in sight of Yellville to shoe every farmer’s horse in the county- that his tribe once worked the mine and from it they could see all over the town of Yellville, but they finally filled up the mine and abandoned it.

Rev. Paul Jones heard this story when he was only a boy and never forgot it. A short time ago he sold his property in Yellville, and was looking for a small tract of land near the town where he could make a home. Mr. J.A. Lefevers owned a small tract of land near the town and offered to sell it to Mr. Jones. He went to look it over, and from the porch he could see all over the town, and near the house there was a sink hole or depression that looked as it had been an opening and filled up. He remembered the old Indian’s story, and doubtless visions of wealth rolled up before him. He bought the place and moved to it. A few days ago he leased a part of the land, embracing the sink hole to Messrs. Geo. Buntz, Frank Still and Geo. Smith and they are working it with good indications of ore.

Fine rosin Jack, running a high per cent of metallic zinc has been found on the land, and this, perhaps was what the Indians found and thought it was silver.

At any rate the place is well located and worth the money Mr. Jones paid for it for a home. Whatever ore he may find is only velvet.”

This scan of an antique postcard depicts a horse-drawn wagon on the bridge at Yellville- probably the one over Crooked Creek. Note the man laying on his back at the top of the bridge girders. There are four figures seated in the wagon, a man standing next to the wagon on the bridge and another man standing on the rail of the bridge.