History of De Queen

De Queen was born when railroad arrived

The roots of the City of De Queen are entwined with the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The Kansas City Southern railroad connects Kansas City, Mo. with the Gulf of Mexico at Port Arthur, Texas. 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. But de Goeijen's name (pronounced "duh HOY en" was difficult for area residents to pronounce and the name was eventually changed to De Queen.

The City of De Queen became the county seat of Sevier County in 1905 and has steadily grown into a prosperous community. De Queen is home to a Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing plant.

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.

De Queen is within 20 miles of three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lakes, earning it the nickname, "Heart of Tri-Lakes Country."

A visit to De Queen will convince you the city 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.