Pike
Courthouse Square
Murfreesboro
71958 |
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(870) 285-2414
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Pike County was formed 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 landscape of the county is rugged terrain in the northern half and rolling hills in the south. 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.
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