Out Of The Past

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Long before Bear Grylls and Cody Lundin, mountain men were immersing themselves in the wild, encountering nature, and testing their skills in survival, exploration and endurance.

The Old Williams High School receiving flagpole repair, circa 1960.

Out of the past: Lost Canyon Ranch and turkey hunters

A holiday card from Y. C. Shen depicting Bill Williams Avenue (Historic Route 66) looking east from Second Street, circa 1940.

On March 5, 1964 Williams members of the McNelly and Theroux families display a mountain lion after a hunt.

The Ladies' Garden Club plants a tree in front of the Williams Hospital circa 1950.

Sid Terry with two Harvey House food servers, often referred to as Harvey Girls in Williams, circa 1918. (Williams Historic Photo Archives)

A gas pump and service attendant at the Clark Car Camp service station, which was located on the east side of Williams. circa 1928.

A collection of articles taken from the Williams News historical archives

Construction begins on a tunnel and trestles in Johnson Canyon, between Williams and Ash Fork, Arizona.

A train crash near Williams on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. — After spending most of his life on military bomber airplanes, 96-year-old Walter Olmsted Jr. of Williams, Arizona, recently got his first up-close look at the Air Force’s youngest bomber: the B-2 Spirit.

According to the minutes of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors in late 1892, a special election was held to determine if bonds should be issued to provide funds for a new school.

Jack Otter is photographed in front of the Grand Canyon Hotel in the early 1900s.

This month in Williams history August 2, 1918

A group of people in front of the Catholic Church in Williams.

Out of the past

The interior of the World Famous Sultana Bar in Williams.

Out of the past: 1940s Williams parade

Williams High School drummetts Norma McDowell, Rosemary Grace, Janelle Owens, Sandra Schnell and Harriet Wilson.

Vehicles line Route 66 through Williams in the mid 1950s. Below: A golfer lines up to putt on the green at Elephant Rocks Golf Course in the 1950s.

Despite the excitement when Webber Field was dedicated in Williams in 1925, the following years saw the deterioration of the airfield.

Elephant Rocks are a geologic feature consisting of about a half dozen basalt boulders spread out in a small area that resemble elephants and are located at the present day Elephant Rocks Golf Course in Williams.

A family stands in front of their car in Williams in the 1920s.

Children wait for their picture to be taken during a winter snowstorm in Williams in the 1920s.