Pomona, Missouri, located about halfway between Willow Springs and West Plains on Highway 63, started out in the 1880s as little more than a big fruit farm located along the line of the Memphis branch of the Frisco Railroad. When the town was platted and a post office established at the location in 1894, it was named Pomona after the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
The place became known for its fruit growing, mainly apples, and the town grew fairly rapidly. By the middle of the first decade of the 20th century, Pomona had a bank, a two-year school, at least one church, and several businesses.
When a Springfield newspaperman visited the place in early 1913, he estimated the town's population at about 700. Apple growing had slowed by this time, and Pomona was known more for its berries, especially strawberries. Among the town's businesses was at least one general store, a blacksmith/woodworker, a livestock dealer, a real estate agent, a doctor, and the bank. The newspaperman reported that Pomona was a "dry territory" and that the law was rigorously enforced.
Pomona has gradually dwindled in population over the years, and today its population is estimated at less than 200. The town no longer has a school of its own, but it does still have a post office and is still a fairly thriving place. For instance, the West Plains Municipal Airport is actually located at Pomona, midway between Howell County's two principal towns.
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