Girard, the county seat of Crawford county, is situated near the center of the county at the junction of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the St. Louis & San Francisco railroads. It is also connected by electric lines with Franklin and Dunkirk. The town was laid out in 1868, when the railroad survey was made, by a company of which A. Dauford was president and C. H. Strong was secretary. It was named Girard by Mr. Strong, after his old home town in Pennsylvania. The first dwelling was erected by C. H. Strong, who was appointed the first postmaster when the office was established in 1868. J. Alexander opened the first store. A second store was soon afterward opened by a man named Sinnet, and in Dec., 1868, James Hull erected a building which was used as the first court-house. Owing to the troubles over the building of the railroad the growth of Girard was slow for a time, but by Feb., 1870, there were 140 buildings in the place. The first town trustees, appointed on Nov. 10, 1869, were L. F. Crawford, N. Sinnet, D. W. Burnett, W. E. Blandon and James Hull.

The first school house was built in 1869, and Maggie T. Hill taught the first school in the new building. A high school was established in 1882. The first newspaper—the Girard Press—was started in Nov., 1869, but did not live long. (See Newspapers.) In March, 1871, Girard was incorporated as a city of the third class, and at the election in April George Ryan was chosen mayor; A. J. Vickers, J. E. Raymond, F. Fanger, H. P. Grund and F. B. Andrus, councilmen. The first bank was started in June, 1871, by Frank Playter.

The Girard of the present day is a city of the second class, equipped with waterworks, electric lights, fire and police departments, a fine sewer system, good public schools, a number of churches, etc. It has 3 banks, 3 weekly newspapers (the Girard Press, the Independent News, and the Appeal to Reason), an international money order postoffice with seven rural routes, a telephone exchange, an opera house, telegraph and express offices, good hotels, and a number of fine stores and residences. Among the industries are flour mills, an oil refinery, a creamery, cereal coffee, condensed milk, vinegar and fence factories, a stove works, an ice and cold storage plant, etc. Being located in the coal fields, a large number of the inhabitants are interested in mining operations, and large quantities of coal are shipped from Girard every year. The population in 1910 was 2,446.