Zalma, Missouri - Historical Communities Near Zalma

Historical Communities Near Zalma

Zalma is bounded in all directions by a number of smaller, unincorporated communities that still retain historical significance.

• Arab, located at the intersection of State Highway 51, Route C and Route P, lies about four miles (6 km) south of Zalma. The tiny village has a population of 7, all members of the same family.

• April Hills is located approximately four miles on Bollinger County Road 710 that begins in the heart of Zalma by the new baseball field. The area is reminiscent of a Cajun community with houses surrounded by trees and marshland.

• Buchanan, located on Route Y south of State Highway 51, lies about four miles (6 km) northwest of Zalma near Castor River. It was named after U.S. President James Buchanan, the first person for whom Postmaster Washington A. McMinn voted.

• Burg is located somewhere between Zalma and Gipsy on Supplemental Route E. It is said that the Pioneer Cooperage Company operated a lumber mill here from about 1906 to 1911, after which the company moved to Coldwater in Wayne County when the timber played out. The town died soon after.

• Castor Bridge is located on Castor River near the end of Bollinger County Road 615 southeast of Zalma. It is said that the historical area was where the Castor River crossed the Zalma Branch Railroad between Zalma and Greenbrier.

• Dongola, located on State Highway 51 just west of the State Highway 91 intersection, lies about seven miles (11 km) east of Zalma. Although the unincorporated community of Dongola was destroyed by a tornado on May 30, 1917 and never recovered, there are a few houses in and around Dongola today.

• Gipsy, the tiny hamlet almost hidden among the hills, is located west of Zalma about three miles (5 km) on Supplemental Route E. A post office still exists and operates in Gipsy, with its own ZIP code of 63751. Old Gipsy Bridge is also historically known to the locals.

• Greenbrier, located at the end of Route W northeast of Arab, is a little unincorporated town that once had a station on the Zalma Branch Railroad.

• Hahn, previously known as North Zalma, is a small community located on Route H just south of the Route FF intersection about halfway between Zalma and Marble Hill. It was founded in 1875 by Jacob Hahn and Harmon Gray.

• Richardson, located at the end of Bollinger County Road 644 along the Diversion Channel, is a tiny historical area that lies just east of Greenbrier. There used to be a station here on the Zalma Branch Railroad between Greenbrier and Brownwood in Stoddard.

• Sank is located on Bollinger County Road 528 just north of State Highway 51 about four miles (6 km) east of Zalma.

• Schlatitz is located on State Highway 51 about five miles (8 km) east of Zalma, conveniently located just east of Sank and west of Dongola between the two communities.

• Sturdivant, located on Route V near the Stoddard County line, is a tiny unincorporated community that lies about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Zalma. It is said that there used to be a station here on the Cape Girardeau Southwestern Railroad Line between Brownwood and Kinder in Stoddard County. The community was possibly named for Colonel Robert Sturdivant, a prominent businessman and banker in Cape Girardeau.

• Trowel is a historical unincorporated area located somewhere north of Schlatitz, probably out in the woods.

• Zephyr is another historical unincorporated area located somewhere west of Hahn.