Zalma, once known as Bollinger's Mill, is a small river town quietly nestled on the banks of the winding Castor River at a point where the river makes a horseshoe bend in southern Bollinger County in Southeast Missouri. When the railroad moved to town, the name Bollinger's Mill was changed to Zalma, named after a railroad worker named Zalma Block. Zalma used to be a busy town of 300 residents. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, it had a population of 93. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 94, an increase of 1.08%. Zalma was not officially recognized until January 25, 1910. Zalma is said to come from a Native American word meaning "the end. " Zalma is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.