Pike County, Arkansas

Pike County Education, Geography, and History

Pike County is a county located in the state of Arkansas. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 11,291. The county seat is Murfreesboro. Pike county was formed on November 1, 1833. The county is  named for Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak.

Etymology - Origin of Pike County Name

Pike county is named for Zebulon Pike, the explorer and discoverer of Pikes Peak. Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. (January 5, 1779 - April 27, 1813) was an American soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. His Pike expedition, often compared to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, mapped much of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Pike County History

Pike county was created in November 1833 by the Territorial Legislature from portions of Clark and Hempstead counties and was named for Zebulon Pike, for whom Pike's Peak in Colorado is named. The county seat is Murfreesboro. The economic base of Pike County is made up of commercial forests and small family farms. At one time Pike County had the largest peach orchard in the United States or perhaps in the world. The Crater of Diamonds, an 886-acre natural park south of Murfreesboro, is the only diamond mine in North America open to the public. If you find a diamond, you keep the diamond. This brings hundreds of tourists to this area each year. More than 60,000 diamonds have been discovered since 1906, the largest and most famous being the "Uncle Sam" (40.33 carats), the "Star of Murfreesboro" (34.35 carats) and the "Star of Arkansas" (15.33 carats). The crater also yields amethyst, opal, jasper, agate, quartz and other minerals. The deed records for the diamond mind are housed in the county courthouse and are the only records of title in North America to a diamond mine. The Caddo River, the Little Missouri River and Lake Greeson offer excellent fishing, canoeing, swimming, picnicking sites, and other water activities. Pike County is an interesting and enjoyable county to visit.  It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the 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.

 The landscape of the county is rugged terrain in the northern half and rolling hills in the south.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Montgomery County
• Southeast: Clark County; Nevada County
• South: Hempstead County
• Southwest: Howard County
• Northwest: Polk County

Education

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