Information about William Gillis (~1797-1869), an Indian trader and one of the co-founders of the Town of Kansas. He was born in Maryland and fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, became a member of the tribe of Delaware Indians before coming to Kansas City about 1831. He built a "lookout" structure at 26th Street and the state line in the 1830s and the Gillis House in 1850 on the levee. He owned much real estate in the city as a slaveholder with his mansion built in 1842 and fortune left to fund the Gillis Opera House through his heir Mary Troost, with illustrations. William Gillis's last name often appears also as "Gilliss," including places and buildings named after him.
