Decades of swimming history fill Loomis family's pond

LOOMIS - Williams Pond is more than an old Loomis swimming hole. It's a link to the past for the descendants of William S. Williams and it holds a wealth of wonderful memories for generations of Loomis families. Jim Williams, the grandson of the Loomis pioneer, is now responsible for preserving that bit of local history.Not long after he came to Placer County from Amador County in about 1912, Williams, or "WS" as he was called, acquired 20 acres of land near what is now King Road and Webb Street.On his new property was a natural drainage basin, and in 1922 Williams started creating a pond. By adding an earthen dam (and later a higher concrete dam) and digging around the many granite rocks, he ended up with a perfect swimming spot. He also built dressing rooms among the rock outcroppings and put in picnic tables and a barbecue. A diving board and a high-dive platform tower were added later.For Loomis children and their families, Williams Pond soon became the place to go to cool off from the sizzling summer heat. It was a picnic ground for church groups and community organizations, a place for grammar school class parties, and a campground for Boy Scouts. Williams even widened the pond so that scouts could earn their 100-yard swimming badges.While Loomis' postmaster, Williams would leave his job early to watch over the kids back at the pond. Among the regular swimmers were young people whom Williams would invite to cool off following a day's work at the town's fruit sheds.When Williams died in 1944, care of the pond and property fell to his son, James Taylor Williams. James Taylor Williams and his wife, Ruth, moved to a house across the pond from where his folks had lived. James Taylor Williams died in 1975; Ruth still lives in house they built in 1941.Ruth Williams says the swimming season at the pool lasted from June to August. "Loomis was pretty small then and Granddad knew most of the parents of the children who came here. We also had big families and a lot of family picnics." (Ruth, 87, is a part of the Ruhkalas of Rocklin. She had 10 siblings, six of whom are still living.)Wes Barnes recalls swimming at Williams Pond with his brothers Walt and Stewart. "WS would always try to get me to go off the diving board by offering me money," he said.In addition to the Barnes brothers, Frank Law remembers seeing "Frank and Jack Ogden and the Gatt boys, Jess and Lloyd" at the pond. "It has been quite a few years since I last saw the Williams Pond," he adds, "but many wonderful memories come back," including "the first time I was able to swim across the deeper width of the pond," and "a musical pageant in which some of the moms and dads were called upon to add the voices."Among the things that changed after World War II was the issue of insurance and the use of the pond. With the growth of the town and without Jim Williams to act as a lifeguard, they worried about safety. Eventually, swimming and picnicking changed to invitation only.Parts of the original acreage were sold throughout the years, and after James died, the property was subdivided. There are now eight homes there, four owned by Williams family members. Jim "WS" Williams' grandson, also named Jim Williams, a noted architect, lives in a striking, beautiful home he built in 1979 with his wife Diane. The house sits on the site of the original Williams homestead, which burned in 1958. "My grandparents' home had granite porches, built from Penryn granite, which we have preserved," says Jim. "It inspired me to do my house the house the way it is."Living at the same place for so many years is something Ruth Williams almost takes for granted. "My children sort of gasp a little when they think having to move me," she said. "I tell them they'll have to drag me out." Ruth Williams especially likes living near her family. "It's so nice having relatives nearby, including my niece and nephew," Ruth Williams said.Her nephew is Phil Oakes, son of Dorothy Williams Oakes. Except for summers during which he and his wife Joan spend at Wrights Lake on Highway 50, Oakes has lived at the pond for almost 40 years. Three years ago they built a new home, and their son Peter now lives at the pond as well.Phil Oakes says the pond is the center of his life because it holds so many memories. He remembers walking to Loomis Grammar School every day. "All the summers from 1942 to 1958 I worked at the Nash DeCamp fruit shed every summer," Oakes said. "I couldn't wait to get home to go swimming. It was just a neat experience."For Jim Williams, the pond also brings a strong sense of place, memories and family. "Even though I never got to meet my grandfather, somehow I feel I still know him," he said. "It's a real connection for those of us who live here, and it means even more for those who have moved away because it a place for them to come home to."In order for the pond to be usable in the summer, Williams must drain it every January to scrape the dirt bottom. The tulles and cattails also have to be removed regularly, and it's a never-ending battle to hold back the pretty but invasive water hyacinths.Williams is a principal in the firm Williams + Paddon Architects & Planners of Roseville. He served as a Placer County supervisor from 1997 through 2000, is on the board of the South Placer Municipal Utility District, and is proud of being chosen last fall as the Sacramento Council of Governments Citizen of the Year. He and his partner, Jack Paddon, were named Business Person of the Year by the Roseville Chamber.Martha Garcia can be reached at marthag@theloomisnews.net.