Railroad station at Girard.

Girard (Richland) – Girard is on the west bank of the Boeuf River, where it is crossed by Highway 80 and the Illinois Central Railroad. Girard has the distinction of being the oldest settlement in the parish. Henry Bry, a land agent for Stephen Girard, an American financier from Philadelphia, established it in 1821. Girard bought the land from Abraham Morehouse. Since Bry was an agent for Girard, he named the settlement for him. Girard was the old stop for riverboats when many people were migrating to Louisiana. Later, it was also an important railroad center. The people who first came to settle Alto and other older communities of Richland alighted from the railway cars at Richland and made their way by boat down the Boeuf River to their respective destinations.

Richland Beacon, April 26, 1873, page 3

Richland Beacon, April 26, 1873, page 3