Biography - Carl Spuhn

Carl Spuhn was born October 12, 1855, at Godesburg on the Rhine, Germany. He came to the United States and to the Pacific Coast with the Henry Villard railroad and shipping interests and made his home at Portland, Oregon. In 1880 he was made co-manager with Captain John M. Vanderbilt of the Northwest Trading Company, in which Villard had an interest. The company established a number of trading posts and stores in Southeast Alaska, including one at Juneau, built a whaling station and reduction plant at Killisnoo and a salmon cannery at Chilkat. Spuhn spent some time in the company's store at Juneau soon after the founding of the town, staked a mining claim or two on Gold Creek and acted as secretary at one of the miners' meetings in August 1881. Later he made his home at Killisnoo where he managed the herring fishery and reduction plant and served as postmaster and United States Commissioner. He retired about 1916 when the herring plant changed ownership and died at Portland, Oregon, on February 17, 1927.

Spuhn Island - at the western entrance to Gastineau Channel and on the southerly side of the entrance to Auke Bay, 10 miles northwest of Juneau. It was named in 1880 by Commander L.A. Beardslee of the U.S.S. Jamestown for Carl Spuhn of the Northwest Trading Company. It was sometimes called Mineral Island by miners who staked lode claims on it in later years. A chicken ranch was located there for some years and later it became a fox farm.

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