September 26, 2009

Bentonville, the county seat of Benton County, was named in honor of Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton. While the area was settled in the 1830s, the town was not incorporated until 1873. This 1920s photo shows the downtown area where, in 1950, Sam Walton opened his Walton’s 5 & 10 Variety Store, the origin of the retail giant Wal-Mart. Today, Bentonville is one of the fastest-growing cities in Arkansas.