Route 66 Wednesdays; Williams, AZ

East of Ash Fork US 66 would have entered the community of Williams.

Williams was founded in 1881 as a rail siding of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. Williams was named after Bill Williams who was a well-known traveler of what would become the American Southwest in the early 19th century. Williams can be seen on the Third Operating Map of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1882.

1882 Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Third Operating Division Map

Williams is famously the last town in Arizona along the alignment of US 66 to be bypassed by I-40 which occurred in late 1984. US 66 traversed Williams on Grand Canyon Avenue eastbound and Railroad Avenue westbound through downtown. Downtown Williams is filled with all sorts of Route 66-oriented businesses and displays a huge number of trinkets from a bygone era.

Williams is also famous for the Grand Canyon Railroad which was built in 1901 by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad 1901. The ATSF operated the Grand Canyon Railroad for passengers until 1968 and for freight until 1974. The Grand Canyon Railroad changed ownership various times in the ensuing decades but reopened in 1989. The line still operates from downtown Williams north to Grand Canyon Village in Grand Canyon National Park.

Williams is generally considered to be the gateway to the Grand Canyon. East of downtown Williams US 66 would have once had a junction with Arizona State Route 64 which is the primary route north to Grand Canyon National Park.

Site Navigation:

Comments

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley. To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker. Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa. The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language. The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246. CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County. CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward. South of CA 127 ...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog