Pike County, Missouri
Settlers
came to Pike
County in the 1800s, in the days of the
Louisiana Purchase. Before, then after the war of
1812, they built the towns of Clarksville and
Louisiana along the banks of the Mississippi. Those
two towns, along with Bowling Green – the county
seat, named after Bowling Green, Kentucky – are
today the three largest in the county. Other cities:
Annada, Ashburn, Curryville, Eolia, Frankford,
Paynesville and Tarrants.
The county is famously rich in American history.
Cemeteries bear witness to the tragedies of the
Civil War; churches are architectural gems. St.
Johns Episcopal Church built near Eolia in 1854 is
the oldest Episcopal Church west of the Mississippi,
and is listed on the National Register of Historical
Places.
Natural beauty abounds throughout the county,
especially along the Mississippi, which borders the
county’s eastern side. View bald eagles at Lock
& Dam #24 in Clarksville, and other waterfowl at
Clarence Cannon Nat’l Wildlife Refuge. Other
wildlife areas: The Dupont Reservation Conservation
Area, for camping and fishing; Edward Anderson
Wildlife Area, for camping; Ranacker Wildlife Area,
and the Ted Shanks Wildlife Area, where there are
wetlands, waterfowl, camping and fishing.
Pike County also boasts several scenic highways and
byways. The Little Dixie Highway of the Great River
Road, a nationally designated scenic byway,
stretches 30 miles, from Clarksville to the county
line. Another scenic byway roams from Route W in
Clarksville to U.S. Highway 61.
For art fans, there’s the twice yearly Provenance
Studio Tour. Local artisans and artists in
Clarksville, Louisiana, Bowling Green, and Hannibal
join together and produce “50 miles of art”
along the Mississippi Great River Road, open to the
public the first weekend of November and the fourth
weekend of April.
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