After R.L. Gilliam donated property in 1898 for the railroad depot, the area was officially founded and named Gilliam. A Shreveport Times article published on November 8, 1898, portrayed "Caddo's New Town" as having a post office, competent physician, drug store, public gin and mercantile store, as well as a brick-making industry. Cotton was the principal crop of the area, and several gins operated in Gilliam through the decades. The Gilliam Gin Company, located south on Highway 3049, is one of five cotton gins remaining in Caddo Parish. The area's history is also reflected in annual events including the Heritage and Harvest Tour, held on the fourth Saturday in September, with plantation homes, churches, the Red River Crossroads Museum, the Gilliam Cotton Gin and other attractions, and the Sunflower Trail and Festival, held on the third Saturday in June.