William West (1821-1919), the first mayor of Ames. The photo is from a drawing by Marjorie Muench in 1992. Proprietors of Ames's first hotel, William and his wife Harriet, operated the West house on Douglass Avenue (where the Octagon stands today-1994) from 1869 until 1892. He was a highly respected pioneer businessman who served on the school board in the 1880's when Central School was built on the site of the present (1994) City Hall on Clark Avenue.
Citation: 142.785.3-4
Year: 1900 (approx.)