Editing Willard, Kansas (section)

==History==
Before 1883, Willard was a tiny community but when the [[Rock Island Railroad]] laid tracks through it, Willard became a typical railroad town.

In 1887, the [[Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway]] built a main line from [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]] through Willard to [[Herington, Kansas|Herington]].<ref name="Rock Island Rail History">[http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm Rock Island Rail History]</ref>  The [[Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway]] was foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway]], which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as [[Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad]], merged in 1988 with [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]], merged in 1997 with [[Union Pacific Railroad]].  Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

In the early 1920s, Willard boasted a population of over 300 and was a major cattle shipping point for this region.  During the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] of the 1930s, many businesses closed and the railroad declined in importance.  The [[Great Flood of 1951]] destroyed much of the community and caused the roadway bridge over the [[Kansas River]] to collapse, isolating it from [[Rossville, Kansas|Rossville]] until a new roadway bridge was built in 1955.<ref name="Bridgehunter.com">[http://bridgehunter.com/ks/shawnee/willard/ Bridgehunter: Willard Bridge]</ref>