Frenchman Claude Nicholas Pillot came to this area with his family in 1837. He and his son Eugene worked in the timber business and were active in the community, serving as officials in the short-lived Spring Creek County. The Willow Settlement formed around the Pillot family and other French settlers. The Pillots owned much of the land in the area and remained active in the community. A successful lumberman, Eugene also became a prominent builder in Houston, maintaining homes both in the Willow Creek area and in the city.