Pike County, Missouri

Pike County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Missouri, bounded by the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,587.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Bowling Green.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Its namesake was a city in middle Kentucky, a region from where many early migrants came. The county was organized December 14, 1818, and named for explorer Zebulon Pike. The folksong "Sweet Betsy from Pike" is generally thought to be associated with Pike County, Missouri.Template:Citation needed

Pike County is said to be the home of Momo (The Missouri Monster). The first reported sightings in the 1970s were traced to various locations throughout the county.

History

The first settler other than native americans was William Spencer in 1799. Spencer came for a salt spring now known as Spencer Lick to start a salt manufacturing business. The salt was made to be shipped to St. Louis, a new but growing town at the time. Spencer abandoned his business when unfriendly native americans became a threat to his safety. He relocated the enterprise to Ralls County.<ref name="pcgenweb_peno">Template:Cite web</ref>

The history of Pike County is complicated by the fact that at its establishment in 1818, it included today's boundaries plus all counties north of it, plus the counties bordering all of them on the west, in total over 6 or 7 times larger than its current size, and thus covering the northeast border area of today's State of Missouri. Pike county and the counties north of it were gradually reduced in size by the creation of Ralls and subsequent new counties including Marion, Lewis, Clark, Scotland, Knox, Shelby, and Monroe.Template:Citation needed

The county was first settled by migrants from the Upper South. Some, though not all, were sympathetic to the Confederate cause in later decades. After the end of the post-Civil-War Reconstruction era, some of the county's inhabitants enforced Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the county to maintain what has been labeled by some as "white supremacy". This occurred despite the fact that key US/Unionist military operations to control "Confederate" upstarts were launched from Pike County and had bases there.Template:Citation needed

In a violent period near the turn of the 20th century, five African Americans were tragically lynched in Pike County between 1891 and 1914.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Among those were Curtis and Sam Young, who were both lynched for allegedly murdering the city marshall, Walter Meloan, on June 6, 1898, in Clarksville,<ref name="genweb">"Lynching in Missouri", Saline County, Missouri/GenWeb Project</ref> a small town on the Mississippi River.<ref name="indcom">Missouri Negro Industrial Commission (data from NAACP), Biennial Report of the Missouri Negro Industrial Commission, Hugh Stephens Press, 1922, p. 79</ref> Pike tied with Howard County, Missouri for the highest number of lynchings of African Americans in the state during this historical period.<ref name="lynching">Lynching in America/ Supplement: Lynchings by County, 3rd edition Template:Webarchive, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015, p. 7</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

• Ralls County (northwest)
• Pike County, Illinois (northeast)
• Calhoun County, Illinois (east)
• Lincoln County (south)
• Montgomery County (southwest)
• Audrain County (west)

Transit

• Burlington Trailways
• OATS Transit

Railroads

• BNSF Railway
• Canadian Pacific Kansas City

Major highways

• Template:Jct
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• Template:Jct
• File:GreatRiverRoad.svg Great River Road

Former roadways

• Red Ball Route
• Mississippi River Scenic Route
• File:MO-9 (1920).svg Route 9
• File:MO-22 (1920).svg Route 22
• File:MO-26 (1926).svg Route 26
• File:MO-29 (1926).svg Route 29

National protected area

• Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 18,516 people, 6,451 households, and 4,476 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 7,493 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 88.44% White, 9.17% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Approximately 1.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of American, 24.5% German, 8.9% English and 8.5% Irish ancestry.

There were 6,451 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 119.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,373, and the median income for a family was $39,059. Males had a median income of $28,528 versus $19,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,462. 15.50% of the population and 11.90% of families were below the poverty line. 20.20% of those under the age of 18 and 15.20% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

2020 Census

Pike County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	15,383	87.47%
Black or African American (NH)	942	5.36%
Native American (NH)	40	0.23%
Asian (NH)	23	0.13%
Pacific Islander (NH)	7	0.04%
Other/Mixed (NH)	758	4.31%
Hispanic or Latino	434	2.47%

Education

Public schools

• Boncl R-X School District – Louisiana
  • Boncl Elementary School (PK-08)
• Bowling Green R-I School District – Bowling Green
  • Bowling Green Elementary School (PK-05)
  • Frankford Elementary School (K-05)
  • Bowling Green Middle School (06-08)
  • Bowling Green High School (09-12)
• Louisiana R-II School District – Louisiana
  • Louisiana Elementary School (PK-05)
  • Louisiana Middle School (06-08)
  • Louisiana High School (09-12)
• Pike County R-III School District – Clarksville
  • Clopton Elementary School (PK-06)
  • Clopton High School (07-12)

Private schools

• Pike County Christian School – Curryville (K-12) – Baptist
• St. Clement School – Bowling Green (K-09) – Roman Catholic

Public libraries

• Bowling Green Free Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Clarksville Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Louisiana Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

• Bowling Green (county seat)
• Clarksville
• Curryville
• Frankford
• Louisiana

Villages

• Annada
• Ashburn
• Eolia
• Paynesville
• Tarrants

Census-designated places

• Ashley
• St. Clement

Other unincorporated places

• Booth
• Calumet
• Cyrene
• Edgewood
• Estes
• Farmer
• Gazette
• Kissenger
• McCune
• McIntosh
• New Harmony
• New Hartford
• Sledd
• Spencerburg
• Stark
• Vera

Politics

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the county level in Pike County, with Republicans holding many of the elected positions, with exceptions as stated below. Note that, per the tables below, Republican Pike County voters prevailed in Missouri gubernatorial elections of 2016 and 2004, and came close to a tie for dominance in 2012, followed by a clear overtaking of county politics in 2016, in contrast with a tradition of nominal Democratic party affiliations of county-level officials.

State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2024	78.63% 6,083	20.01% 1,548	1.36% 105
2020	74.73% 5,727	23.62% 1,810	1.66% 127
2016	59.45% 4,389	37.31% 2,755	3.24% 239
2012	47.66% 3,482	50.03% 3,655	2.31% 169
2008	49.09% 3,850	49.19% 3,858	1.73% 135
2004	55.32% 4,416	43.02% 3,434	1.65% 132
2000	46.74% 3,427	50.70% 3,717	2.56% 188
1996	30.30% 2,027	67.65% 4,525	2.05% 137

Pike County is a part of Missouri's 40th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is represented by Chad Perkins (R-Bowling Green). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Pike County is a part of Missouri's 18th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Brian Munzlinger (R-Williamstown). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Federal

Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Pike County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Template:Main Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 1,447, than any candidate from either party in Pike County during the 2008 presidential primary. She also received more votes individually than the entire number of votes cast in the Republican Primary in Pike County.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pike County, Missouri

References

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External links

• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Pike County Template:Webarchive from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
• Pike County website linking to government agencies: http://www.pikecountymo.net/
• [www.pikecountymo.org/ Pike County Development Authority]