The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗On May 13, 1908, a tornado struck the community around dinnertime, killing 34 people and devastating the town, leaving only two homes standing. Fifteen others were killed in nearby communities.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Be one of the first
Start Gilliam’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gilliam’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10By decade
Gilliam, decade by decade
Before
2000
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places
Nothing in Gilliam is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Gilliam has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Kansas City Southern Depot in Vivian, 8.9 miles away.
Gilliam and the nearest listed places
Dashed line = Gilliam. Tap a dot.
How a place gets listed
1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Kansas City Southern Depot’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Gilliam?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Gilliam’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old placeNational Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.