Pike County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pike County
U.S. county
Pike County Courthouse (Murfreesboro, Arkansas)
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	November 1, 1833
Named for	Zebulon Pike
Seat	Murfreesboro
Largest city	Glenwood
Area
• Total	614 sq mi (1,590 km2)
• Land	601 sq mi (1,560 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)
Population  (2010)
• Total	11,291
• Estimate  (2019)	10,718
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,291. The county seat is Murfreesboro. Pike County is Arkansas's 25th county, formed on November 1, 1833, and named for Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county. The current judge is Dewight Mack.

History

The first known residents of the area now considered Pike County were Native Americans. The Quapaw tribe was prominent in the area, as well as the Kadohadacho, and Cahinnio tribes. Expeditions led by Hernando de Soto and Sieur de La Salle passed through the area. Around 1800, the Kadohadocho tribe migrated to Texas to avoid further repeated attacks by the Osage, who would venture in from the Oklahoma area.

Pike County was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and on November 1, 1833, Pike County was created, out of Clark and Hempstead counties by the Arkansas territorial legislature and named after Zebulon Pike. A post office was established in what is now Murfreesboro, with the town itself receiving its name due to some of its first residents having originated from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Until it was officially named, Murfreesboro had been referred to as "Forks of the Missouri" or "Three Forks". Much of the county's documented history was destroyed in the court house fires of 1855 and 1895.

During the Civil War, Pike County men formed two full companies for service in regiments formed in Montgomery County, in the Confederate Army, with the most active being the 4th Arkansas Infantry, and the county was firmly in support of the Confederate States of America. In 1864 Murfreesboro served as a winter quarters for the Confederate regiments assigned to that area, with Union Army regiments wintering just eighteen miles away in and around Antoine.

In 1900, Martin White Greeson, who owned property in Pike County and also owned and operated the Murfreesboro-Nashville Southwest Rail-Road, began campaigning for a dam on the Little Missouri River to alleviate flooding. It was not until 1941 that the project was approved, and construction began on June 1, 1948, and was completed on July 12, 1951. The lake created by the dam was named Lake Greeson in Greeson's honor.

In the early 20th century, Rosboro, Arkansas was the headquarters of one of the states most productive lumber mills, and received its name from Thomas Whitaker Rosborough, owner of the lumber company. That company, originating in Rosboro, eventually moved to Springfield, Oregon, where today it is one of the largest forest product producers in the U.S., and it operates under the name of the "Rosboro Timber Company".

During World War II Murfreesboro was used as a site to house and work German prisoners of war. Since the late 19th century, the county's main source of employment has been in the timber industry.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 614 square miles (1,590 km²), of which 601 square miles (1,560 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 70
• Highway 8
• Highway 19
• Highway 26
• Highway 27
• Highway 29
• Highway 84

Adjacent counties

• Montgomery County (north)
• Clark County (east)
• Nevada County (southeast)
• Hempstead County (south)
• Howard County (west)

National protected area

• Ouachita National Forest (part)

Demographics

Age pyramid, Pike County

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,171 people, 4,280 households, and 2,969 families residing in the county.

Attractions

• Crater of Diamonds State Park & Water park

Communities

Cities

• Delight
• Glenwood
• Murfreesboro (county seat)

Towns

• Antoine
• Daisy
• Nathan
• Pisgah
• Salem

Census designated place

• Kirby

Other unincorporated communities

• Billstown
• Highland
• Langley
• Lodi
• Newhope
• Rosboro

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Pike County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Notable residents

• Former U.S. Representative Thomas Dale Alford was born in Pike County. A leading ophthalmologist in Little Rock, he served in Congress from 1959 to 1963, having first been elected as a write-in candidate.
• Singer Glen Campbell was born in Billstown, Arkansas, and raised in nearby Delight.
• Former Arkansas State Treasurer and state auditor Gus Wingfield was born in Antoine, Arkansas, and attended school in Delight.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Pike (Arkansas) para niños