Ira Abraham Williams (1876-1934)

Ira Williams was born on December 24, 1876 to David and Christine in Manley, Iowa. After completing his primary education, Williams enrolled at Iowa State College and graduated with a bachelors degree in civil engineering in 1898. He then began his graduate studies and graduated with a master of science degree from Iowa State College; his thesis was titled "Some considerations on the fusibility and vitrifying temperatures of common clays." Williams then received a masters of arts degree from Columbia University in 1904. 

After graduating, Williams taught geology and ceramics at the department of mines and mining engineering at Iowa State College, later teaching at Columbia University, the University of Washington, and the Oregon School of Mines.

Williams also worked for the Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology while serving as the state geologist of Oregon. During his time in Oregon, he served as a consulting geologist and engineer in addition to published several descriptions critical to the state's geology. While at the Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology, Williams "discovered" and described many of the glaciers on the Three Sisters mountains in the Oregon Cascade Range, these include: Hayden, Diller, Renfrew, and Collier glaciers, in addition to Mount Jefferson's Milk Creek Glacier in 1915, Prouty Glacier in 1916, and Lewis Glacier in 1916. Williams was also involved in describing other geological features in the Three Sisters area, such as about twenty miles of the Lost Creek Canyon and geological surveys for reservoir recommendation at several locations such as Clarno in eastern Oregon. Later he named and proposed the designation of the Dillman Cave (Lava River Cave), located near Bend, Oregon, as a national monument. Today the cave is a part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Williams has been widely praised for his treatise on the geology of the Columbia River Valley titled "Geologic History of the Columbia River Gorge, As Interpreted from the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway" which was recently reprinted in 1991.

Personally, Williams married Jessie Edna Wood on July 9,^th 1910 and had three children. Outside of his professional memberships, Williams was active in his local Rotary Club. 

Ira A. Williams died on January 21,^st 1934.