Biography - John W. Waydelich

John W. Waydelich was one of the first white settlers in the Auke Bay area. Waydelich's birthplace is not recorded but he was reported to have been a graduate of Yale University. He came west to Montana and then to Cariboo and the Omineca and finally into the Cassiar. Waydelich had a farm on one of the islands at the mouth of the Stikine River in 1874 and later moved to Windham Bay and mined on Shuck River. In 1881 he moved to Juneau and in 1892 claimed a homestead of 160 acres "on Auk Bay, about two miles east of Old Auk Town" and on the creek which now bears his name. He cleared a part of the homestead and raised produce which he sold in Juneau. Waydelich was a member of the '87 Pioneers Association and his signature appears on the original charter of the organization in the Territorial Museum. Usually known as "Wes" or "West" he died at Juneau on August 17, 1914, at which time his age was reported as both 74 and 80.

Waydelich Creek - on the mainland, discharging into Auke Bay 11 miles northwest of Juneau. The name is incorrectly spelled "Wadleigh" on some maps. The creek was named for John W. Waydelich.

---