William Erastas Platt was a long-time resident of the Gila Valley. He was a doctor and was well known for his loving care.

Will was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He moved with his family to Saint George Utah as a young boy when Brigham Young sent his family along with other families to build the ST. George Temple. While in ST. George he met and fell in love with Isabelle Romney whose father had also been sent to build the temple. After the temple was finished both families were sent to St. John's, Arizona to establish a community there. When he asked Brother Romney if he could marry his daughter, Brother Romney agreed only if he were to travel back to St. George to be married in the temple. Which they did. Then it was back to St. John's to make their home. Will was interested in chemicals and got a job working in the drug store. He was very good at this and soon had people asking him for help with different ailments. St. John's did not have a doctor at that time and Will and Isabelle felt there was a real need for a doctor. The young family went east so Will could go to medical school. Once he graduated the family returned to St. John's to set up practice.

Around 1920 he moved his family to Thatcher, AZ where he set up his practice. Here he raised his family and it was also here that his first wife Isabelle passed away. With his children grown Will decided that he wanted to marry again.

Will put an ad in a California newspaper looking for a new wife. My grandmother, Blanche Celora Murdy had a friend at work who found the ad in the newspaper. and asked Blanche if she would help her write a letter to this man? Blanche agreed and wrote the letter for her friend, but at the end of the letter she put a short note and told Will that she was not in the habit of writing letters to strange men. A few weeks later this man dirty and tired from a long trip showed up on her doorstep. He had come to see the woman who had written that beautiful letter. She told him she was not interested, but after much talking she finally agreed to have dinner with him the next day. He was thirty years her senior in fact born the same year as her dad. She did not want to marry him, but finally agreed to travel to Phoenix, AZ to manage his boarding house. After traveling to Arizona she learned that he did not have a boarding house, and she finally agreed to marry him. They were married and move to Thatcher, Arizona to make their home. Together they had four children, William E. Platt Junior, Ila Mae, Norma Lee and Bonnie Belle (my mother). They were married for many years until he did when Bonnie was 11 years old.

I of course never got to meet him, but I have read stories about him and had many people in the Gila Valley tell me about him. I understand he was a great man. He did a lot of good in the world and was always willing to help the poor. I am proud to be one of his many grandaughters. I love you grandpa...Barbara West Encinas