Idalia, Missouri Explained

Idalia is an unincorporated community in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. It is located six miles northeast of Dexter.

A post office called Idalia was established in 1889, and remained in operation until 1966.^[1] According to tradition, the community was named after the daughter of the original owner of the site.^[2]

Idalia was at milepost 43.91 of the Illmo Sub-division of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway. It was known as Station I-44 and in 1935 had a day telegrapher. The telegraph call for Idalia was "DN". There was a 159 car siding and additional capacity of 26 cars in the local business tracks of the railroad. A mail crane was located at Idalia to pick up the U. S. Mail by moving train.^[3] According to Paul Wooldridge, Idalia had a population of about 30 in 1934 while he was there as a farm worker. The Cotton Belt depot was destroyed in a freight train derailment in 1939.

References

St. Louis Southwestern Railway Northern Division Time Table No. 10 dated August 18, 1935

Cotton Belt Memories by Paul B. Wooldridge self-published in 2006 by the Arkansas Railroad Club.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Post Offices. Jim Forte Postal History . 26 December 2016.
2. Web site: Stoddard County Place Names, 1928–1945 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160624071913/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_stoddard.html . June 24, 2016 . dead . The State Historical Society of Missouri . December 26, 2016 .
3. St. Louis Southwestern Railway Northern Division Time Table No. 10 dated August 18, 1935