It takes a special kind of collector to venture across America gathering his treasure and then leave it there for others to find later. Reid Williamson '70 is that sort of collector, and no matter how rare the items in his collection are, he encourages others to find them as well. How is that possible? Instead of rare coins or misprinted stamps, Williamson is -- well, was -- collecting counties.
Pinellas County, Fla. He's been there. Beadle County, S.D.? There, too. New York County -- better known as Manhattan -- is on the list as well. Williamson has been to every one of the 3,141 counties in the United States. He is a member of the Extra Milers Club, a group that has similar goals: visiting every county courthouse, for example, or eating at a Dairy Queen in every state. Williamson, however, is one of the few who have seen it all. No gimmicks.
His quest began in some ways when he was a kid -- Williamson's uncle was showing him his travels in an atlas, and young Reid was hooked.
"The atlas happened to highlight the county lines above all else," he remembers. "The paper was ivory, and the lines were vivid orange."
After more than 3,000 counties, though, anyone's memory would start to get fuzzy. Especially because so many of the nation's counties are separated by imaginary lines that don't correspond to natural geography, Williamson has an easier time remembering the scenery than he does the counties themselves. Being an avid birder, he takes time on many trips to check out the local fauna and snap some photos.
"I can look at the map and remember the trip, and the lighting and some of the birds I saw," he says. "I have some I remember, but not even probably a third of them."
There's at least one photo he takes on each trip that isn't a bird: Williamson's goal includes a picture of a highway sign in each state that corresponds to that state's entry into the union. His trip to Virginia -- the 10th state -- included a stop on Route 10, which runs from the Richmond suburbs to Suffolk, Va., along the south side of the James River not far from Williamsburg.
Williamson became involved with the Extra Milers Club quite by chance. When visiting the Hoover Dam in 1991, Williamson came across a business card on his windshield. The Extra Milers Club president, Roy Carson, was at the dam, spotted Williamson's Virginia plates and left a note. They met shortly thereafter, where Carson explained the club to him and he signed up on the spot. Williamson hasn't missed a single meeting since 1992, and has edited the newsletter for the last seven years. After years of questing, Williamson finally completed his list in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on July 28, 2007. At last, No. 3,141.
Keeping track of the scores of counties is different for each person. There are those who think that merely driving through a county doesn't qualify, there is debate on whether the two states that don't have counties (Alaska, with boroughs, and Louisiana, with parishes) should be involved and some question whether Virginia's unique "independent cities" count at all. Williamson includes every one, and has a two-part test to determine whether you've been somewhere or not.
"If you dined there or were arrested there, for sure, you were there," he says. "And besides, if you weren't there, where were you?"
