De Queen is a city in Sevier County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 5,765 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Sevier County.
Notable natives:
Collin Raye-Country singer.
Wes Watkins-Oklahoma politician who left as a boy.
Matthew Hall-Harding University Basketball player, who is playing Pro Ball Overseas.
Tracy Nealy-Head Girls Basketball Coach, Living Legen (No D in his game)
Fred Dykes-Professional Poker Player, Noted world traveler
This is "Tri-Lakes Country"
DeQueen Lake, Dierks Lake, Gillham Lake are all within a short distance of De Queen, Arkansas for great fishing, camping, boating, water sports and swimming fun in Arkansas.
Enjoy water sports, camping and hiking at any of these three Corps of Engineers Lakes near Dequeen, Arkansas.
Visitors can enjoy the Ouachita National Forest with it's rich resource of hunting and fishing activities and hiking, mountain biking and Horseback riding. All this near Dequeen Arkansas.
Come see the beautiful Cossatot River near DeQueen, and take on its white-water stream, if you're an experienced canoeist or kayaker.
Street scene in DeQueen (Sevier County); circa 1910.
Courtesy of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives
Effiegene Locke Wingo of DeQueen (Sevier County), U.S. congresswoman (1930–1933).
Courtesy of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives
Sevier County Courthouse in DeQueen.
Photo by John Gill
De Queen Mayor Billy Ray McKelvy 
BARGAINS GALORE AT BARGAINS ON THE SQUARE The day started early for vendors and buyers at Saturday's Bargains on the Square in downtown De Queen.
Sevier County Historical MuseumHistory of De Queen
De Queen was born when railroad arrived
The roots of the City of De Queen are inextricably entwined with the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The KCS railroad was extended through a frontier settlement known as Hurrah City, that later became De Queen. De Queen was named after Jan de Goeijen, a Dutch coffee merchant who helped finance the completion of the railroad. The Kansas City Southern railroad connects Kansas City, Mo. with the Gulf of Mexico at Port Arthur, Texas. But de Goeijen's name (pronounced "duh HOY en" was difficult for area residents to pronounce and the name was eventually anglicized into De Queen.
The City of De Queen became the county seat of Sevier County in 1921 and has steadily grown into a prosperous community. De Queen is home to a Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing plant and a Weyerhaeuser wood treating plant. Husqvarna operates a large assembly plant in De Queen and more chain saws are manufactured in De Queen than at any other location in the world!
Pilgrim's PrideProviding the highest quality,wholesome, nutritious poultry products for 60 years.
Pilgrim's Pride recognizes that your lives are getting busier. While maintaining our commitment to quality, we are continually moving forward with delicious, convenient, healthy foods. Today we put the same care into a variety of food products that are convenient, delicious, and made for today's busy lifestyles.
Husqvarna Chain SawsPoulan is a brand name formerly of the Swedish conglomerate Electrolux. In 2006, the Electrolux spun off its Husqvarna AB Division, into its own company, Husqvarna AB. It was originally an independent American company based in Shreveport, Louisiana, founded as Poulan Saw Co. in 1946 by chainsaw pioneer Claude Poulan. The company merged with Weed Eater in the 1970s, and was purchased by Electrolux several years later. The Poulan brand name is used primarily for outdoor power equipment, such as chainsaws, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers, that is aimed at the mid-level consumer market. Since Poulan is owned by Husqvarna, the two brands often share technologies. Poulan has, in recent years, offered "Poulan Pro" as a brand name. Poulan Pro products use a black and gold color scheme instead of Poulan's traditional green. Because of this, Poulan products have been pushed even further downmarket. A Poulan 306A Chainsaw was used in the original 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre film.
Husqvarna also provides lawn mowers, lawn tractors, and other yard equipment to Sears to be sold as the Craftsman brand. Most mid-level Craftsman products are slightly altered Poulan products. Sears also carries some Poulan and Husqvarna products. Husqvarna produces products under many brand names.
The history of Husqvarna dates back more than 300 years. During this entire period, we've been dedicated to developing our technical expertise and applying it to create quality products.
Husqvarna's reputation for quality products with reliable performance enabled steady growth and expansion of the product range. In modern times, the company has also expanded through acquisitions. By the end of the 20th century, Husqvarna had become an acknowledged world leader.
De Queen Medical Center offers complete medical services. Cossatot Community College is an affiliate of the University of Arkansas system and offers higher education and technical training to area students.
Welcome to Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas. Since 1975, we have been serving southwest Arkansas providing quality academic, technical, and continuing education courses. We hope you enjoy the experience of our new web site and we look forward to seeing you on campus!
A visit to De Queen will convince you why the town's motto is "Hometown At Its Best." De Queen offers a great quality of life, a progressive future and a colorful past that has been preserved. De Queen is a great place to life and work. You're invited to come take a look.
KCS HOLIDAY EXPRESS TRAIN
Annual Hoo Rah Days Festival
A celebration of the original railroad town of DeQueen which was first called Hoo Rah City. Demos of early crafts and customs such as blacksmithing, knife making, art shows, talent show, dancing, arts & crafts, food vendors, pioneer dress and red hat parades, country breakfast and more.
Admission: Free; fee for country breakfast.
Annual Christmas Parade and Festival of Lights
Annual county-wide Christmas parade and courthouse lighting ceremony with over 30,000 lights
DeQueen Lake was created following the 1977 completion of a dam on the Rolling Fork River. Its surface covers 1,680 acres with a shoreline length of 32 miles. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' recreation areas on the lake offer 110 campsites, boat ramps, swimming areas, fish-cleaning stations, picnic sites and other recreational facilities.
The crystal-clear lake is an open invitation for visitors to enjoy fishing, boating, skiing, scuba diving, picnicking, camping, hiking and hunting. All of the scenic shoreline is publicly owned so boaters are free to go ashore where they wish. Anglers come to the lake in search of its largemouth, spotted and hybrid striped bass, crappie, walleye, bream and catfish.
The southwestern Arkansas town of DeQueen was founded along a railroad begun in the late 1880s from Kansas City to Port Arthur, Texas. When an economic depression beginning in 1893 dried up sources of American capital needed for the railway's completion, Arthur Stillwell, who had conceived the idea for the rail line and who was then part owner of the Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Gulf Railroad, traveled to Holland in 1894 seeking investors for the project.
His effort failing, Stillwell contacted Jan DeGeoijen, a coffee broker he had met on a previous trip to Europe. He convinced DeGeoijen to support the project and in a few months the two managed to raise $3 million.
The town was named in honor of DeGeoijen, but due to pronunciation difficulties among early residents it was altered to the English variation "DeQueen." The change subsequently made possible one of Arkansas's, if not the nation's, most agreeably curious newspaper names. The DeQueen Bee began publishing in 1897 and continues in operation.
Displayed in the Sevier County Historical Society Museum in DeQueen are a bust of DeGeoijen and an American flag he presented to the mayor's wife when he visited his namesake town in 1927. Other museum highlights include "The 1940s House," which provides visitors with a veritable time-machine experience of that decade, and an Antique Village with some 10 small, replica structures containing related artifacts that are indicative of the buildings and furnishings found in DeQueen soon after its 1897 founding.
Annual Big Bass Festival
Fishing tournament held on the tri-lakes of De Queen, Gillham and Dierks. Over $11,000 in cash and prizes awarded.
Admission: $45.00 Entry Fee
External links
- Media related to De Queen, Arkansas
- Sevier County