BOWLING GREEN, a post-village, capital of Pike county, Missouri, 76 miles N. E. from Jefferson City, is situated on an arm of Grand prairie. It has a court house, a newspaper office, and several stores. (Baldwin & Thomas, A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States ... 1854)
BOWLING GREEN, The county seat of Pike county, in the township of Cuivre, 90 miles from St. Louis, and 100 miles from Jefferson City. Was first settled in 1819 by John W. Basye, and post office established in 1823. It had four stage routes, viz., daily to Louisiana, distance 11 miles; tri-weekly to Wellsville, distance 32 miles; tri-weekly to St. Charles, distance 65 miles; and weekly to Mexico, distance 40 miles. The chief products are corn, oats, wheat and tobacco; the timber oak and hickory. It contains five stores, two manufactories, one steam saw and grist mill, one church, one Masonic lodge, and three hotels. Improved lands are selling at an average price of $20, and unimproved $10 per acre. Population 400. (The Missouri State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1860)