In 1865 a Butterfield stagecoach station was built a half mile south of the present site of Wilson. "Attica" and "Bosland" were early names for the town before the US Post Office decided it was "Wilson" in 1873. Large numbers of immigrants from Czechoslovakia in the 1870's came to work on the railroad and gave the area a unique culture. Francis Swehla was the first Bohemian homesteader in 1874 and was instrumental in bringing more Czech settlers here which eventually lead to the Charter naming Wilson the "Czech Capital of Kansas" in 1974, 100 years later. J.T. McKittrick was one of the first settlers who built hotels and business, and brought the Pennsylvania-Dutch to this area.