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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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