Williams was founded in 1876 and nothing much happened here until the railroad arrived in 1882. In 1901 the Santa Fe Railroad laid tracks from Williams to the Grand Canyon and insured Williams' claim as Gateway to the Grand Canyon.

Bellemont is the highest town on old Route 66 with an elevation of 7,130 feet above sea level. Named for Belle Smith, daughter of the superintendent of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, F. W. Smith in 1882. Before that time it was known as Volunteer in honor of an 1863 militia camp at the site. The springs found in the area were called Volunteer, and provided a reliable water stop for weary travelers long before Route 66 came through. During World War II the Navajo Army Depot was located at Bellemont and was one of the largest storage sites for the Pacific Theater. It still remains today and is used by the Army National Guard. The large expanse of the base with all its buildings, many abandoned, can easily be seen from the Interstate. Whiting Brothers established a gas station and motel in east Bellemont sometime after Jack Rittenhouse came through. They used wood from powder boxes taken from the Navajo Army Depot to build the motel section of their establishment. The ruins of the old Whiting Brothers gas station and motel are slowly returning to the earth; a few more winters and they will be but a pile of rubble.