History
Wilson’s rich history dates back to the 1800s, when the town was founded by Czech settlers. Wilson is still known as the Czech Capital of Kansas, and you’ll still find plenty of pride in that heritage. Take time to step into the past and learn from locals!
Czech Immigration and Early History
The first major immigration of Czechs occurred in 1848 when the “Forty-Eighters” fled to the United States to escape political persecution by the Austrian Habsburgs. Czech Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government and guarantees of human rights. By the 1850s, an estimated 10,000 Czechs lived in the U.S., with the largest concentrations in Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, New York and Milwaukee.
The years 1865-1873 brought big changes for the area that would become Wilson. In 1865, a Butterfield stagecoach station was built a half mile south of the present site of Wilson. At that time, the Butterfield Overland Dispatch Coach was traveling from Atchison, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado. The dispatch built “swing-stations” about every nine to eleven miles so travelers could “swing in,” take care of necessities (a drink of water, refresh their meager staples, change their tired horses for fresh ones) and “swing out” on the trail again. This rest stop was named Wilson Creek station. Three years later, the Kansas Pacific Railway built Wilson Station.
In June of 1871, the Post Office Department designated the site Attica. The town was renamed again the same year to Bosland, which came from the Latin bos, meaning cattle. The town had high hopes of becoming a major stop on a cattle railroad, but a railroad running through southern Kansas destined it to follow another path. In 1873, the United States Post office gave Bosland the name that it continues to have to this day, Wilson.
A second wave of settlers began in 1874 as Bohemian emigrants traveled by train from Iowa, Nebraska, Chicago and New York to work on the railroad. they brought the culture Wilson is still known for today.
Francis Swehla and Other Settlers
Francis Swehla left for America in 1854 and made stops in New York, Pittsburg, and Cleveland. Land was to be had in Iowa, so he went to Chicago then traveled by wagon and on foot to Mississippi then by steam ferry to Dubuque, Iowa. He spent the winter in Iowa, then left for “Bosland” in search of more land. He arrived in May of 1874. Swehla wrote letters in Czech language newspapers encouraging other Bohemians to come to the area and claimed to be the first of his nationality to homestead land.
Hardworking craftsmen like Swehla were drawn to the area to find inexpensive and prosperous land. Many became farmers here, and their descendants built businesses that helped Wilson to grow and thrive. Grocery, lumber and blacksmith businesses — and at one point even two cigar factories — prospered.
The Opera House
Probably the Bohemians’ greatest contribution to the culture and social life of Wilson was construction of the Wilson Opera House in 1901. Frank Kvsnick, Sr., and a few other motivated local men constructed the building using post-rock quarried five miles outside of Wilson. The building was two stories high with a seating capacity of 500.
Originally called Turner Hall, the facility frequently hosted and drew capacity crowds to stage shows, public dances and eventually motion pictures. The Opera House also housed the Bohemian Athletic Club, or Sokol, from 1901 through 1919. The Sokol was a Czechoslovakian organization that promoted physical and intellectual activities within the Slavic community. The Opera House burned down in 2009, but it has since been renovated into an open-air theater.
Learn More
Today, you can explore area history at the Wilson Heritage Museum, which features exhibits on the town's founding, its role in the cattle industry and many articles and artifacts. You can also attend the yearly After Harvest Czech Fest to experience a celebration of Czech heritage, including food, music and more.
While you’re in town, visit the 2711 Shared Workspace (behind The Midland Mercantile in Wilson) to view an exhibition of Arthur Jellison’s historical photographs of Wilson. Archival footage is also available to view.
