Wilson is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States.

[4] The Butterfield Overland Despatch built a stagecoach station one-half mile south of present-day Wilson in 1865.

[6] Three years later, the Kansas Pacific Railway built Wilson Station, named after the surrounding township, at the modern town site.

In 1871, The National Land Company surveyed and planned the first town there, naming it Bosland in the hopes of attracting the cattle trade.

The settlement never became a center of the cattle trade, however, and continued to be known as Wilson, a name the U.S. Post Office officially codified in 1873.

[9][10] Wilson lies in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the Smoky Hill River and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Wilson Lake.

[9][11] Wilson Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill, flows south along the east side of the city.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.60 square miles (1.55 km2), all land.

The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (19.5%); manufacturing (15.5%); and public administration (11.3%).

[13] Wilson is a city of the third class, according to state statute, with a mayor-council form of government.

[2] The community is served by Central Plains USD 112 public school district.

Wilson Communications offers landline telephone, internet and cable tv service.

[19] Local residents primarily use natural gas for heating fuel; service is provided by Midwest Energy.

[14] To celebrate this heritage, the city holds an annual After Harvest Czech Festival on the last Saturday in July.

The festival includes displays of Czech American culture, such as dancers and music, as well as a carnival, a parade, sports tournaments, talent contests, and other activities.