Yates Center, the county seat and leading city of Woodson county, is located near the geographical center of the county. It is the railroad center of the county, having three lines of the Missouri Pacific and one of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe systems converging here, it is an incorporated city of the third class, has 2 banks, 2 news papers, all lines of mercantile enterprise, good schools and churches, an opera house and an auditorium, electric lights, waterworks, fire department, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with five rural routes. The population in 1910 according to the government census was 2,024.

Yates Center was founded as a place to locate the county seat, which was at that time (1867) at Neoho Falls in one corner of the county. Nothing was done for several years toward building up a town although the business interests of Kalida and Defiance, two nearby towns and rivals for the county seat, had repeatedly made propositions to Abner Yates, the non-resident owner, to found a town at that point. It was not until the county seat matter was settled and Yates Center was victorious in 1876, that any growth was attained. Then the people of Defiance and of Kalida moved their towns bodily to the "center" and the town was established. It was not made independent of the township until 1904.