Wills Point was the first town in Van Zandt County to become incorporated as a city. Canton, the county seat of Van Zandt County, was mapped out in 1850. The horse was owned by a black man and won a big race against a white man in the Canton area near the time when the town was established. In Switzerland, the different subdivisions are called Cantons. The first district court was held in the newly-built log courthouse September 7, 1850.
Canton is located near the geographical center of the county.
The city was incorporated April 1919. The event began more than a century ago when the first Monday of each month was set aside by the district judge as the day his court convened in Canton. It was a state law at that time that all stray horses in the district be brought into Canton and auctioned off. People came from all over East Texas for the auction, some bringing their own stock to trade or swap. Soon the streets of Canton were overflowing with horses, supplies and crops sold by individuals.