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Bolivar, Missouri

Bolivar, Missouri

Bolivar is a city of about 9,500 people located on Highway 13 between Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri. It is surrounded by recreational lake areas that furnish good fishing and all types of wild game. Bolivar also has an excellent and plentiful work force with the type of people that it takes to make manufacturing and business successful. We of the Bolivar area are proud of our good schools, churches, health care facilties, university, and our strong business and farming community.

Fishing, hunting, boating, and camping are all available to Bolivar area residents and visitors just 15 miles away at Lake Pomme de Terre to the north and Stockton Lake to the west. Just 30 miles to the north, Truman Lake also offers unlimited recreational opportunities. A nine-hole and an 18-hole golf course are located west and south of the city.

Bolivar has existed as a city since November 10, 1835, when proclaimed as such by the Polk County Court and designated as the county seat. The settlement which was to become Bolivar developed along the trail used by the Overland Stage, hence the reason Bolivar's streets do not 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 now commemorated by a monument.

Bolivar was named after a city in Tennessee which initially was named after General Simon Bolivar when news reached the United States of the heroic military feats which were being achieved in South America. Three grandsons of Ezekiel Polk who settled the Tennessee town in 1823, moved to this Missouri area and submitted the names of Polk and Bolivar to the newly formed county and county seat in honor of their grandfather and the town where he was living. Ezekiel Polk distinguished himself as a colonel in George Washington's Revolutionary Army and it seemed fitting that the two names symbolized liberation.

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Simon Bolivar Statue

Bolivar, the county seat, was laid out by William Jamieson in 1835

Bolivar, MO Arts

Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art

The Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art is the permanent home of the Dunnegan and Wainscott art collections. The wide range of individualistic styles and subjects makes the gallery an ideal place for an "on the spot"

Bolivar, MO Arts

Golf Courses

Bolivar Country Club is a nine hole golf course, located along Highway 32 West, is open to the public for daily green fees or membership.

Silo Ridge Country Club is a semi-private course with over 6,800

Bolivar, MO Golf Courses

Polk County Courthouse

The Polk County Courthouse, completed in 1907, dominates the square in the county seat of Bolivar. Both the county and the city were organized in 1835. The county covers 642 square miles and is home to about 27,000

Bolivar, MO Historic Courthouses

War Memorials

The Doughboy Statute was erected in 1925 in honor of the Polk County servicemen during 1917-1919. Next to the WWI memorial is a black granite memorial to honor servicemen of All Wars erected in 1996

Bolivar, MO Memorials

Things to do near Bolivar, MO

Liberty Center

Community theater and art gallery with various events year-round. Built in 1920; refurbished in 1980s....

Knob Noster State Park

Features shaded group and individual campsites, fishing in several small lakes, abundant wildlife, nature center and trails....

Bates County Museum

Bates County Museum includes artifacts of pioneer history dating back to pre-Civil War. Cabin and stagecoach depot on complex...

Clinton Country Club

Course Access: Semi-PrivateHoles: 18Reserve Advance Tee Times: Yes...

Cedar Oak Lodge & Golf Course

Course Access: ResortHoles: 9Reserve Advance Tee Times: Yes...