Wilson, in the heart of Post Rock country, was established in 1871 near a Kansas Pacific Railway station as a cattle trade hub when the trade was shifting from Abilene toward Ellsworth, and its original name, Bosland, reflected that purpose from the Latin word bos for ox or cow. The town never became a cowtown, and after a few years it was officially renamed Wilson after Wilson Station, its train depot. Wilson's Czech culture began with Francis J. Swehla, its first Czech settler, who arrived in 1874 and used Czech-language newspapers across the U.S. to publicize a Czech settlement with cheap land, rich soil, access to water, and building stone. Bohemians soon flocked to Wilson, continuing to arrive into the early 20th century, coming both from eastern American cities and from overseas. Many of the new Czech were tradesmen who came to succeed at farming, and like other arrivals in Post Rock Country they adapted to the lack of wood by living in dugouts or sod-brick huts until they could build homes from readily available limestone. As the town grew, limestone remained a common building material, and many of those structures still stand, especially in the historic downtown. Wilson's Czechs, like many ethnic groups in Kansas, stayed together in rural enclaves to maintain their language and customs and to support one another while homesteading. Organizations such as the Bohemian Slavonic Benevolent Union helped educate and assist newly arrived Czechs, while the Wilson Czech Opera House and athletic clubs such as Sokol provided diversions and fostered Czech culture. Early settlers also preserved their religious heritage, evident at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, named for the Prague-born saint. The Kansas Pacific Railroad, later incorporated into the Union Pacific Railroad, was integral to Wilson's creation; in 1871 it built Wilson Station near the site of the Butterfield Overland Despatch rest stop for stagecoach travelers, and in 1879 a sandstone depot was constructed. Other substantial buildings followed, including the three-story, 20-room Power Hotel, built in 1899, which became a popular stop for salesmen displaying their products. After a 1902 fire, it was restored as the Midland Railroad Hotel and continued operating until 1978, later serving as a backdrop for the 1973 film "Paper Moon." In 1997 the Wilson Foundation bought the building for $35,000, completed a successful restoration, and reopened it in 2003; today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.