Don’t wait to enter, we are  limited to 10 submissions.

This fun and delicious contest will be held the weekend after Thanksgiving; November 29, 30. The contest started as a friendly competition between Williamson family and staff and has grown over the years to encompass submissions from our followers. We are looking for up to 10 soup entries. Soup enthusiasts will pick one of the two days where they will prepare and share their unique and tasty soup. Over 2 days, guests will sample and choose their favorite. On each day of the contest, the soup with the most votes will be awarded a bottle of Williamson’s wine.

Please note: all soups must be delivered to our tasting room by 11am of your preferred date. We ask that you provide your own crock pot to keep your soup warm throughout the day. We will provide all ladles, cups and spoons. You can pick up your crock pot between 5pm and 6pm that same day or during business hours the following days. The soup with the highest votes for that day will win a bottle of wine!

For more details, please look at the soup competition online form. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received.

Application form can be found here- Soup Competition Form.

Send completed application: Email to wine@willorch.com or mail to Williamson Orchards & Vineyards, 14807 Sunnyslope Rd., Caldwell, ID 83607

Henry C. Williamson, brother to Lillian Williamson Gammon, was a very down to earth fellow who led a diverse, well traveled life. All of his varied experiences prior to settling down in Idaho taught him to persevere and gave him a skill set that came in very handy on the farm.

In his youth, Henry served with the Coast Artillery along the east coast until 1907. In 1912 he traveled to California to work for the South San Joaquin Irrigation District as a concrete and tunnel inspector. He then returned to Idaho in 1913 to work as a “teamster” for the Boise Project, driving a 20-horse team that pulled a grading shovel during the construction of Arrowrock Dam. He would go on to work with Idaho’s developing irrigation networks by designing and building canal systems for Wilder Irrigation District that are still in use today. You can see a picture of a spillway that he designed. In 1914, Henry headed south of the border and worked on the construction of the Panama Canal. Henry enlisted in 1915 and went with the 116th Cavalry (see photo above) to the Mexican border when Pancho Villa was making forays in the U.S. Then in 1917 or 1918 his regiment was deployed to Europe during WWI. We have included a photo of his artillery regiment and their big gun that Henry refers to as “Big Bertha” on the back of the photograph.

After the great war Henry returned to Idaho to be near his sister. His love for the great outdoors led him north into the West Mountain range where he purchased ground in New Meadows. He found work hauling materials south to Caldwell for a lumber company. Henry made a little extra money on the side by raising foxes for their furs; as it was fashionable in the 1930’s to sport fur coats. His modest side business grew to the point where in 1935 he raised as many as 300 foxes! You can also see a very young Jack A. Williamson, our grandfather, holding a fox kit under Henry’s careful supervision. Grandpa Jack loved his Uncle Henry and would later move from Virginia to live in Idaho full time to work with Henry on the family farm.

It wasn’t “all work and no play” on the homestead. Lillian and her husband, George, had a wonderful circle of friends consisting of early Sunnyslope settlers. Neighbors were always willing to lend a hand if you needed it, and were always happy to come together for a good meal!

We hope you enjoy this picture of an impromptu picnic from the past. Lillian is pictured in the middle with a giant slice of watermelon! Also pictured are her neighbors; Mr. & Mrs. Caldwell and their two girls, plus Mrs. Barnes and her little one. The photograph was sent to Lillian’s mother with a note written on the back asking her to “Look at this and send it back. We wanted to show you the size of the melon we grew. She took the picture when I had a big mouth full! So look and laugh and send it back. I am afraid you wouldn’t burn the picture if I asked.”

We are so glad Lillian’s mother never burned the photo. Sorry Lilly! While no one wants to be caught with a mouth full, we love seeing these tough pioneers enjoying a little time of leisure. Not to mention the size of the watermelon, no one grows them that big anymore!!
Don’t forget to join us for our own Pink Picnic coming up on July 17th!

Alzheimer Awareness

In the early 1900’s Lillian Williamson Gammon, and her husband George, decided to try their fortune on the new frontier. They left Virginia and headed west by wagon. While briefly stopped in Oklahoma they heard about some interesting land opportunities in the young state of Idaho. Thanks to the Homestead Act of 1862, they were  able to settle on 80 acre parcels along the sunny slopes of southern Idaho, near the Snake River.

The top photo depicts George Gammon surrounded by sage brush on his newly acquired land. He and Lillian worked very hard to clear the property and built a simple two story house on their homestead. In the lower photo you can see Lilly in front of their home with her horse “Buttercup”. Notice our beloved windmill peaking out from behind the house, the same fan blade pictured here is currently displayed on the front of our tasting room!