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 people. The county was named after the Polk family, who were early settlers in the area. The county seat was named Bolivar in honor of the heroic military feats being achieved in south America at that time by General Simon Bolivar.