THE UNDERGROUND TUNNELS OF WILLIAMS, ARIZONA: FACT OR FICTION?

 THE UNDERGROUND TUNNELS OF WILLIAMS, ARIZONA: FACT OR FICTION?

I recently was involved in a discussion regarding the "secret tunnel system" that purportedly exists under the buildings in Williams, Arizona. This has been the subject of online video bloggers, reporting as if some mysterious secret lies hidden beneath the sidewalks: one of those small towns' closely guarded secrets, veiled behind the curtain of stoic silence maintained by the locals. 

I like a legend that is formed from facts, such as Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. Often the legend takes the facts and glorifies them with much fanfare and figures of speech, until the legend is larger than the reality. The legend of hidden tunnels in Williams may just be that- a storied legend greater than the truth.

Tourism is an important industry in Williams, Arizona. As such, I have found that the locals and the old timers (which by now includes myself) are a cordial, if not sometimes friendly bunch. If you show due respect, you might be able to strike up a conversation, wherein you may learn something about this wonderful town of Williams.  

Inevitably, someone will ask in a hushed voice, "What about the tunnels?" Often, the perplexed local stares back in subdued silence. This isn't because of some vast conspiracy at work, whereupon if you speak the result is the immediate expulsion from the "Old-Timers' Club." It is more of a reaction from someone that just hasn't given it much thought, because there isn't much to see. We don't want someone figuratively prying up the floorboards, or skirting about in the shadows, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive tunnel system. 

Now to the facts: Williams was founded in a climate that has severe weather; often hot in the summer and cold to the extreme in winter. When the town was founded, most of the structures were of wood and canvas construction. Several devastating fires reduced the town to ashes. Each time this happened, the town was rebuilt due to the stubborn resolve of the citizens. 

After several fires, the locals decided that new buildings were best constructed from stone and brick. This allowed for two-or-more storied structures to be built. The new buildings required a firm and solid foundation, often extending deep into the soil where a more stable strata could be found. The foundation area could be used as a cellar, once proper cribbing and such was installed. 

It is not uncommon for buildings to have such cellars, which are used to store items that need a consistent temperature. Not all of the town's buildings had such cellars. Those that did could be used for other nefarious purposes, with the possibility of a backdoor exit to an alley. Some adjoining properties may have reason to connect to one another; however, this was a rarity. 

Images; Arizona Memory Project

Saloon Row, aka red-light district, circa 1901-1909

The Cabinet Saloon, with the Grand Canyon Hotel in Background. Circa 1890s.

From the earliest years, most of Williams business district was concentrated in a six-block area. The average person can walk the area in less than an hour, more if you decide to partake of the business establishments, to which we strongly encourage. The district was and is a mixture of single storied buildings, with a reasonable number of two storied stone structures. 

In the earlier years, oral history states that Chinese labor was used to dig ditches and limited excavations for sewer and water lines in Williams. 

 There are a number of reasons for a subterranean system to exist, such as in Seattle, Washington or Pendleton, Oregon. One was for "volunteering" the unwary for long voyages by ship, and for both hiding extensive brothels and other unseemly activities. There were no merchant ships in Williams, and the unseemly was confined to the small "red light district." 

A project of such scale would require the consent of the building owners. Property owners in the state of Arizona are rather protective, and in the case of Williams someone expanding an underground empire is highly doubtful, as a tunneling offender may encounter a hostile owner not willing to have an intruder burrowing under their foundation. 

 Simply stated, there was not the need for an underground system, other than a few exceptions that might have existed under the dens of iniquity.   

Alas, the legend and mystic of a tunnel system may sound enticing for the tourists, but the facts indicate no such elaborate system exists.