Sunset is a rural unincorporated community in Polk County, in the U.S. state of Missouri, located southeast of the county seat in Bolivar.
History A post office called Sunset was established in 1888, and remained in operation until 1900. The name Sunset most likely is a transfer from another American place of the same name.
According to Place Names in Southwest Counties of Missouri (1930), "Sunet was the fanciful name given to a little store and post office about forty years ago. It was probably named from one of the seven other Sunsets in the United States."Myers, Robert Lee. Place names in the southwest counties of Missouri, p. (1930)
Sunset Bridge, which crosses the Pomme de Terre River, was the first "iron" bridge in Polk County, with its first iteration constructed in 1885.Sunset Bridge, Spanning Pomme de Terre River, Bolivar, Polk County, MO, Library of Congress The current Sunset Bridge span was protected by a bank stabilization project in 2016.Way, Jill (30 November 2016). Voice of dissent:Sunset Bridge and road projects completed amidst differing opinions, Bolivar MO News Since 2001 the bridge has been decorated with artwork and kept free of graffiti by students from Halfway High School.Maull, Jessica Franklin (26 May 2017). A living masterpiece, Bolivar Herald-Free Press
The Sunset Park Access is a popular park to access the river for boating and fishing and has a boat ramp. The river is considered a good place for novice canoeists.(24 August 2006). Remote park welcomes river visitors, Springfield News-Leader, p. 26
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