The pioneers of this state have many thrilling and interesting stories to tell of the Arizona of 50 years ago ¹. Most of them could talk for hours about the life they let in those days. There were many struggles and hardships, but I have never seen a pioneer who did not look back with pleasure to bygone days. Mrs. J. W. Williams ². of Phoenix is a fine example of a true pioneer. She has resided in the Salt River Valley for fifty-five years, having come to Arizona in 1872. Mrs. Williams, before her marriage was Ms. Mandeville Hill. She was born in Texas in 1856 ³.

When she was 11 years old, her parents moved to California. Although but a mere child then, she can remember their journey distinctly. The motive travel was very slow, and it was made in a wagon drawn by oxen. It’s hard for one who has never traveled overland by wagon to imagine the hardships which the pioneers encountered, but such events will ever burn brightly in the memories of those who experience them.

In 1870 ⁴ Miss Hill became the bride of J. W. Williams of California. Two years later she bid goodbye to her friends and relatives and started for Arizona. She again traveled in a wagon, but this time it was drawn by horses. Mr. Williams mother and sister ⁵, with her family, accompanied them. It took them about a month to make the journey. They came by way of Maricopa. After traveling many miles across the desert and among the sagebrush, that last arrived at Phoenix. The little village of small adobe houses, which they saw, was a very different site to that which a traveler would first see upon entering Phoenix today. Most of the houses were grouped close together, and there were no definite roads or streets marked off, just paths and beaten trails between the houses. The business district and dwellings covered a very small area. There were only a few stores such as dry goods, grocery, hardware, and one saloon. The Beehive was the main dry goods store at this time.

Shortly after they came to Phoenix, Mr. and Mrs. Williams homesteaded a piece of land about two and one-half miles southeast of town⁶. They built a three-room adobe house, and furnished it as well as possible with the materials available. The beds were made from cottonwood posts and Gunny sacks had to serve as windows. Lumber was very scarce as it, like everything else, had to be hauled from Prescott. In bad weather, when it took a long time for supplies to come, the settlers had to parch wheat for coffee. Mr. and Mrs. Williams learned to use many substitutes such as this. Most of the mail came by stage from Prescott, but there was also another stage from Maricopa, which brought the California mail.

At the time the Williams family settled in the valley, there were no canals near their home. Mr. Williams and some of his neighbors soon provided their own methods of irrigation. They dug ditches from the river to their farms and built their own damn on the Salt River. Of course, these dams were not permanent; they were only put across the river when the water was needed. Unfortunately, they did not always hold the water. Mr. Williams would build dams at night, expecting to see the water backed up in the ditches by morning. But, he found that the dams had washed away during the night and, in this case, he would build them up again, and wait for the water to rise. One of the neighbors who helped Mr. Williams build dams was Mr. Spain ⁷. He was the father of E. H. Spain, who is a well-known resident of Tempe.

After the family had resided near Phoenix for a few years, they moved to Tombstone ⁸. They did not like this place, so only stayed one year. When they returned to the valley, they first moved into a house in Phoenix ⁹. The location of the dwelling was near where the courthouse now stands. The residents and business sections were grouped very close together at this time. A man by the name of Graves ¹⁰ use to preach at the Williams home on Sunday as there was no church building. He had to walk to Phoenix from his home south of the Salt River. There was no bridge then, so he had to take off his shoes and wade across.

While the Williams family was living in Phoenix, their small son ¹¹, 1 ½ years of age, took pneumonia and lived only a few days. The father had gone to Yuma when the baby took sick. Of course, it was a great shock to find the child dead when he returned. Phoenix had neither undertakers or coffins at this time. Mr. Jackson, father of the late Eugene Jackson, made a coffin for the child. The body was laid to rest in the old cemetery at 15th Ave. and Jackson streets ¹². Mr. Williams bought some land and homesteaded more. A neighbor of his, who became discouraged and wanted to leave, traded his 80 acres of land to Mr. Williams for two horses and a wagon ¹³.

At one time Mr. Williams owned about one half of a section of land. It took him many years, however, to get this amount. When he homesteaded the land after returning from Tombstone, a J. D. a Mr. J. D. Williams jumped the claim and the lawsuit followed, which lasted for six years. J. W. Williams finally won the suit, but it cost him time and money. He was also deprived of the right to improve the land while the lawsuit lasted. He had just finished fencing the land, and set it out in Alfalfa, when a big flood came and washed it all away. This was indeed a discouragement to the whole family.

The big flood which washed their crops away is one of the experiences which stands out in the memory of Mrs. Williams. It occurred on the Salt River in 1891 ^13a, just 36 years ago. There was an extremely big rain in the mountains, and the floodwaters poured into the valley. Early one morning the family noticed that the river was rising; they could hear the water’s roaring. Mr. Williams and his sons at once went to work to build a new levee around their yard. At first it looked as if they were not going to be able to force the water back. Finally, they piled up sacks filled with dirt. This plan proved successful in preventing the water from breaking over. Many people were not as fortunate; their houses and Barnes were washed away. Rescue boats were sent out from Phoenix, but the Williams family did not go as they believed the levee would hold. Mr. Brown ¹⁴, a neighbor of the Williams family, was in his house when the water began to rise. He found it impossible to get out through the door. He soldered a hole in the ceiling and managed to get onto the roof just as the house began to float away. As the house drifted by a tree, he caught hold of a limb and climb to safety. At this time, Mr. Brown’s family were staying in town to send their children to school, and he was alone at the ranch. Mr. Brown was the father of Mrs. George Alkire of Phoenix.

A. P. Hill ¹⁵, Mrs. Williams’ brother, then resided near her. His wife and children went to his sister’s when they saw the floodwaters coming. Mr. Hill was freighting from Maricopa to Phoenix. He was returning home the day the floods came. Upon nearing Tempe, he could see the waters were rising. He climbed to the top of Tempe Butte and looked out over the valley. It was with the feeling of dread that he watched the waters spreading around his home in the distance. Although most of his possessions were washed away, his family was safe at the home of Mrs. Williams. The river has risen many times since, but there has never again been such a flood as that one was.

Another sorrow which came to the Williams Family was the death of their eight month old baby ¹⁶. Measles caused its death and Mrs. Williams had the measles at the same time and was unable to go to the funeral. The child was buried beside its brother in Phoenix. Mrs. Lum Gray ¹⁷, said to be one of the first settlers of Arizona, was a neighbor of Mrs. Williams for a number of years. Mrs. Williams children went to school at a little schoolhouse east of their home. A large building now stands in its place and is known all over the valley as Wilson school. Sorrow and grief again came to Mr. and Mrs. Williams when death entered their home and took their five-year-old daughter ¹⁸. The child was not buried in Phoenix as there had been talk that the cemetery would someday have to be moved. Mrs. Williams brother went out on the desert and selected a place for the family cemetery. The location he chose was several miles from the main road. This little girl was buried there about four years ago. The bodies of the other two children were later moved from Phoenix to this place, as Mrs. Williams did not like to leave the little body all alone in the desert.

When this place was selected, they little thought that someday the public highway ¹⁹ would run directly in front of the cemetery, but such is now the case. Anyone who’s ever gone from Tempe to Phoenix has no doubt noticed a graveyard on the north side of the road, just a short distance from the packing plant ²⁰. This is the Williams Family Cemetery. Mrs. Williams now has 13 relatives buried there, are: the wife and two children of J. D. Morrell ²¹, the father ²² of James Young of Yuma, and the mother of Jeff Adams (Mr. Adams was formerly Sheriff of Maricopa County ²³). About a year ago a man by the name of Wear ²⁵ claimed that the graveyard was on his property; he said that he had homesteaded the land. He declared that he was going to plow up the cemetery, but Mrs. Williams purchased it from him ²⁶. She had to pay him much more ²⁷ then any desert property is worth. Her brother was buried there three days after she purchased the land; he died the day the transaction took place ²⁸. A few people who have relatives buried there paid Mrs. Williams for their lot ²⁹, but she has born most of the cost herself.

There are many people concerned who did not know that Mrs. Williams had to buy the land. Mr. Williams died in 1912 ³⁰. Mrs. Williams has lived alone practically all the time since the death of her husband. She still resides on Henshaw Road, in the same place where she lived 55 years ago. Many changes have been made in the place during that time. She now has a seven room house with electricity, bath, and running water ³¹. Mrs. Williams has six children living and three dead. Her family all reside in or near Phoenix, with the exception of one son in California.

Following are the names of her children:

Mrs. L. W. Greer ³² of Phoenix,

Mrs. J. M. Thompson ³³ of Phoenix,

J. M. Williams ³⁴ of Phoenix,

E. P. Williams ³⁵ of California,

I. W. Williams ³⁶ of Gilbert,

and J. W. Williams ³⁷ of Laveen.

Mrs. Williams ³⁸ has endured many hardships, but has been cheerful through it all. She was 71 years of age 8 February. She is the perfect picture of health. She believes in hard work, and attributes her many years to the active life she has lead and is still leading. As we come in contact with such people as Mrs. Williams and see the true pioneer spirit, it seem altogether fitting and proper to erect a monument to the memories of those who blazed the trail for Arizona civilization. May we never forget what they have done for us, and do everything in our power to make the remaining few comfortable and happy.