Williams

When the iron horse was making its way up the Sacramento Valley, W.H. Williams was preparing for the future of a small village then named Central. Land was bought, building began, and by the time the railroad arrived in 1877, the town was well under way and would soon be called Williams. The story of our town is as much about its residents as it is the community, the determination, the hard work, and the resilience that helped make Williams what it is today. Follow the story from the 1850s to 1950sthe years that set the stage for generations to come.

Author Patricia Ash is a fourth-generation Williams native and has been a history column contributor in the Williams Pioneer Review since 2007. She has come from a family steeped in the history of Williams and early California. With the generosity of the Sacramento Valley Museum and the support of the Colusi Historical Society, she has sifted through hundreds of photographs as well as contributions from cherished private family collections to bring you this pictorial history of Williams and surrounding areas that were important to the city's economic boom.