History of Bolivar, Missouri
Bolivar has existed as a city since Nov. 10, *1835, when proclaimed as such by the Polk County Court and designated as the county seat. Bolivar and Polk County in 1985 celebrated their sesquicentennial. Bolivar was organized as a fourth-class city Feb. 15, 1881. The settlement which was to become Bolivar developed along the trail used by the Overland Stage, hence the reason Bolivar's streets don't run true north and south, instead being offset about 22 degrees to the west. The location of Bolivar as a settlement was also directly related to Keeling Spring, located behind the Bolivar Post Office and next to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press office. That spring is now mostly covered by a concrete monument that commemorates the importance of the spring to the location of Bolivar.…