How We Came To Be
We are looking out the office window at another cloudy wintery day on Moose Lake. There are a million birds at the feeders this morning and it seems the perfect time to tell everyone a little about the history of Williams and Hall and how we came to be here at the end of the road. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't tell us that they used this outfitters back when it was Tom and Woods. Well we thought it is high time to set the record straight as to what happened when and how! Back in 1963 a local guide and certified character by the name of Don Beland built our original lodge building on Moose Lake. We have had some guys stop by to tell us of working for Don that first summer. Apparently he could not afford an excavator, so he had his crew dig out what is now our main outfitting area by hand shovel. I tell our modern day crews that story when they complain about digging a little hole now and then. Don successfully ran the business for 10 years and then he sold it to two Connecticut Yankees, Tom Ware and Woods Davis. Tom and Woods were neighbors and rode the commuter train together to New York City each morning. This is when they plotted their escape from city life and began taking canoe trips into Algonquin Provincial Park in eastern Ontario. They got wind that Beland was looking to sell and hatched a plan to buy him out. Tom and Woods and their wives, Judy and MJ, moved their families here in 1973 and began a wonderful 20 year run on the shores of Moose Lake. During their tenure, they saw the end of motor use, and the beginning of the canoe only wilderness. They saw the buyout of all the old resorts, the last years of Dorothy Molter's storied life and many other significant changes to the area. They also constructed the dining room and the office building. Twenty years later in 1993, The Williams and Hall families took over from Tom and Woods. Lyle and Shirley and Blayne and Charlene uprooted their kids from their comfortable suburban lives in Chicago and moved to the end of the road in 1994. They worked with Tom and Woods in 1994 and 1995 to insure a smooth transition. This also gave Blayne and Lyle the opportunity to explore a lot of the canoe country that they had not previously visited. The decision was made to not change the name for the time being. So for the first 8 years we owned the business, the name remained Tom and Woods. Then in 2002, we transitioned over to the name of Williams and Hall. We ran out of stationery and figured everyone knew us, so what the heck. That was 10 years ago. We have worked very hard to maintain the high end standards that were set long ago by Don Beland and thoroughly established by Tom and Woods. The focus and goal has always been to make our guests "part of our family." The experience you receive at Williams and Hall is distinctively different than what you will receive at other outfitters. Many facility and service improvements have been made over the years that we hope will preserve the feel of the Northwoods while at the same time adding to the comfort and convenience of our guests. So if you haven't been up to see us lately, it's time to hitch up the team and head "Up North." Blayne
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