Pike County is a county located in the U.S.
state of Arkansas
. As
of 2000, the population was 11,303.
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.
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 Kadohadocho, 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, 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 counties 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 mill, 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 counties main source of employment has been in
the timber industry.
Notable residents
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total
area of 614 square miles (1,590 km²), of which,
603 square miles (1,562 km²) of it is land and
11 square miles (28 km²) of it (1.77%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
National protected area
Demographics
Age pyramid Pike County
As of the
census of 2000, there were 11,303
people, 4,504 households, and 3,265 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 19 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 5,536 housing
units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The
racial makeup of the county was 92.04%
White, 3.47%
Black or
African American, 0.65%
Native American, 0.16%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 2.60% from
other races, and 1.07%
from two or more races. 3.57% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 4,504 households out of which 32.10% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were
married couples living together, 8.30% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families.
25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.40% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the
age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from
45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,695, and
the median income for a family was $32,883. Males had a median
income of $27,294 versus $17,266 for females. The
per capita income for the county was
$15,385. About 12.80% of families and 16.80% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including
20.80% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or
over.
Attractions
Cities and towns
References
- Based on 2000 census
data
in Pike County.
, he served in Congress from 1959-1963, having first
been elected as a write-in
candidate.
(east)
(southeast)
(south)
(west)
(part)
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