Biography - John W. Vanderbilt

John W. Vanderbilt, the son of Captain J. M. Vanderbilt of the Northwest Trading Company, grew up in Wrangell, Killisnoo, and Sitka. In 1896 he went to Fortymile as storekeeper for the Alaska Commercial Company and spent some time in the Interior. In 1906 and 1907 he lived near Vanderbilt Hill as watchman for one of the mining properties at Lemon Creek. Later he spent some years at Chichagof were his mother, Mrs. Lena Vanderbilt DeGroff, owned a principal interest in the Chichagof Mine. During the first World War he served with the Tank Corps in France. No further information about him has been attained.

Vanderbilt Hill - the end of the ridge of the unnamed mountain north of Salmon Creek, which makes a hill on Glacier Highway approximately 4.3 miles northwest of Juneau. It was apparently named for John W. Vanderbilt, who lived for some time in that vicinity.

---