By Kathy Lopez
In the 1800s, pioneers, miners, explorers, and military personnel traveled throughout Arizona with many settling in the Williamson Valley area. Williamson Valley Road is not just about the paths, trails, wagon ruts, rails, and roads that developed into one of the major routes of the Arizona Territory, it is also about the people who used them - and what a feisty bunch of people they were and continue to be! If you want to start a debate, ask, “Where is Williamson Valley?” You will get as many answers as there are people in the room.
Valleys do not have defined boundaries, so geographical descriptions are sometimes determined by the needs and knowledge of travelers, residents or cartographers. Maps show Williamson Valley in a variety of locations, even as far northeast as present-day Paulden and spelled “Williamson's”.
Those taking a geographical viewpoint trace Williamson Valley Wash from south of the Santa Maria Mountains and east into Chino Valley Basin, west of Del Rio. Using Williamson Valley Road, the southern edge begins where Mint Wash crosses the road near Long Meadow Ranch and flows north to where the pavement ends, near Camp Wood Road.
Old-timers say you live in Williamson Valley if you reside in the actual valley. Newcomers generally say they live in Williamson Valley if they live anywhere near the road. Those playing it safe say they live in the Williamson Valley area.
Ehrenberg and Hardyville toll roads were used to access settlements, towns and military camps that sprang up in the Arizona Territory in the 1800s. When the toll roads were decommissioned, the route was called “Simmons Road” for Simmons stage stop at the intersection of Williamson Valley Wash and Mint Wash.
In the 1930s, the 66-mile dirt road, Simmons Highway, was constructed from Iron Springs Road, near Prescott, to Seligman, Arizona, located on old US Route 66. On November 6, 1995, Yavapai County highway status was removed from a section of Simmons Highway. This action was taken because Yavapai County does not have the right-of-way to private segments from the intersection of Camp Wood Road to Interstate 40 at Seligman. However, Yavapai County continues to maintain those sections.
On February 5, 2001, a section of Yavapai County Road 5, known as Simmons Highway, was renamed Williamson Valley Road. The renamed 21-mile section is between Iron Springs and Camp Wood roads. Simmons Highway continues north, then west to Walnut Creek, where the historic Hardyville Toll Road entered Williamson Valley. The remaining 44-mile dirt road, Walnut Creek to Interstate 40, is officially named Simmons Highway (also known as Prescott-Simmons Highway).
The first mile of Williamson Valley Road, from Iron Springs Road to Shadow Valley Ranch Road, lies within Prescott.
When you read about the prehistoric people, Native Americans, and pioneers of the Williamson Valley area, imagine the tenacity it took to not only survive, but to thrive in the “wild and wooly” west. Today’s residents may not face the same life-threatening challenges, but they continue to make history with their individual or collective acts. Some concerns have not changed, including road construction, who should govern, weather damage, range management, or the big issue—where to have the next neighborhood barbecue. The history of the Williamson Valley area has been written for thousands of years, whether on rocks, in books, or floating around the Internet. It will continue to be recorded by those who live there and remember its stories.
Excerpt from Williamson Valley & Beyond: Prehistory-1870s by Kathy Lopez, published by Morgan Ranch Park Association, 2022.
“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1 The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.