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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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