Daisy (Pike County)

Latitude and Longitude:	34°14’14″N 093°44’32″W
Elevation:	650 feet
Area:	1.14 square miles (2020 Census)
Population:	88 (2020 Census)
Incorporation Date:	March 5, 1910

Historical Population as per the U.S. Census:

1810	1820	1830	1840	1850	1860	1870	1880	1890	1900
–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1910	1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000
136	130	100	82	74	86	100	177	122	118
2010	2020
115	88

Daisy is a town in Pike County, located on U.S. Highway 70 and on the shores of Lake Greeson. Daisy State Park is adjacent to the town of Daisy.

The region that would become Pike County was sometimes visited by Caddo, although no permanent Native American settlements were established. Pike County was created in 1833, and in 1860 Henry J. Walston purchased land south of what would become Daisy, land that today is under the waters of Lake Greeson. Walston made additional land purchases in 1885, including the land where Daisy was established. Other families joined Walston, including the family of William Carroll Gentry, who homesteaded on Walston’s property.

In 1888, a post office was established that was known as Gentry until 1894; Churbry Meeks was the first postmistress. Due to confusion with the city of Gentry (Benton County), Meeks was asked to change the name of the post office. Reportedly, she chose the name Daisy because of a large patch of wild daisies near the post office.

The town of Daisy was incorporated in 1910. The town had four stores, owned by W. B. Walston, Thomas Tedder, Nathan Henderson, and Will Lawless. The town also had a blacksmith. At the time, Daisy had a wood-frame schoolhouse; this was replaced in the 1930s by a brick building. The school later incorporated into the Kirby (Pike County) school district.

During the 1920s, local roads were organized into a highway that was to stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Originally named for Confederate general Robert E. Lee, the Lee Highway was later designated U.S. Highway 70. The highway runs through the town of Kirby, bringing tourists and other travelers through the area.

Early in the twentieth century, Martin White Greeson began seeking approval for a dam on the Little Missouri River for flood control and to generate electricity. The project was approved by the U.S. Congress in 1941, but construction did not begin until after World War II. Narrows Dam and Lake Greeson were dedicated in 1950. A bridge built across Self Creek near the lake in 1949 is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1955, Daisy State Park was created on the shores of Lake Greeson near the town of Daisy. The Daisy post office was closed in 1965.

In 2015, Daisy had several businesses and churches.

For additional information:
Pike County Archives & Historical Society. Pike County, Arkansas, a Look at the Past. Murfreesboro, Pike County Archives & Historical Society, 1995.

Pike County Heritage Club. Early History of Pike County. Murfreesboro: Pike County Archives & Historical Society, 1978.