Willis, OK
Willis, Oklahoma, is located along U.S. Highway 377, just north of the Oklahoma/Texas line.
What to Do
Home to Megastar Casino, featuring more than 600 of the most popular electronic gaming machines. Grab a bite to eat at Kitchen 377 located inside Megastar Casino or at the Willis Chickasaw Travel Stop where you can find snacks, beverages and fuel.
History
The community of Willis located 14.5 miles south of Madill in Marshall County, was settled in 1843 when James Hamilton Willis and his wife, Amanda, a Chickasaw family, left Mississippi and moved to Indian Territory. They built their house and a store east of what later became the site of Willis Bridge. According to the Marshall County Genealogical and Historical Society, the post office was established in March of 1866. Willis became a successful farming community. The crops were: corn, cotton, sugar cane, peanuts and peas while cattle, hogs, chickens and turkeys were also raised in the Willis area. The community soon had a grist mill, a cotton gin and a blacksmith shop. A ferry was established to cross the Red River, allowing the people of Willis to trade in Texas.
The decision to construct Lake Texoma meant that the site of Willis would be inundated, along with over 97,000 acres of farmland in the Willis Valley. Houses and barns belonging to more than 40 families were moved or destroyed between 1941 and 1945. By 1945, only one store remained, which included the local post office.
