William Sherley Williams

William Sherley Williams. Sculpture by B.R. Pettit. "Old Bill" was born January 3, 1787 in North Carolina. He died March 24, 1849. In that 62 year life span he did a heap of living, most of it in the wilderness. In the late 1700's and early 1800's the mountain men were trappers. In the quest of fine furs, these master trappers shoved ever westward in the raw, new frontier, braving untamed Indians, Grizzlies and worse - the cold relentless winters in the vast unexplored mountain wilderness. Their's was a lonely existence beset by many hazards. Fortunate were those who were able to live through a trapping season and get to rendezvous in the spring. After the fur market dwindled these frontiersmen became the trail- blazers of the west. The mountain men scouted the trails, escorted and guarded emigrant parties and surveying expeditions across the great unknown reaches of the unexplored west. Old Bill first visited the present site of Williams in about 1826. He was said to have spent the winter of 1832-33 in this area. In 1954 a group of Williams citizens formed The Bill Williams Mountain Men organization to perpetuate the lore, memory and romance of the mountain men of old - in particular, Old Bill Williams for whom a town, a mountain, and a river were named. , (Lower plaque:) , This monument was made possible by the contributions of (list of 31 names) , Monument dedicated April 26, 1980. ,