Primary Name: Nowell, Willis

Filed as: Nowell, Willis

Also known as: Willis Nowell

Occupation / Association: Charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo; violinist; steamship agent; miner

Associated places: Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Juneau, Alaska; Seattle, Washington

Keywords: Willis Nowell, Nowell Willis, Alaska Steamship Company Juneau agent, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo charter member, Juneau musicians, Nowell family Juneau Alaska

Biography

Willis Nowell was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo.

He was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in April 1859 and came to Alaska in 1900.

When he arrived in Juneau at the age of forty-one to visit his father, Thomas Nowell, he was already an internationally known virtuoso violinist. Shortly after arriving, he abruptly changed careers and entered the mining business with members of his family.

Later, he entered the steamship industry and served as the agent for the Alaska Steamship Company in Juneau for nearly twenty-five years. Throughout his years in Juneau, he continued to perform as a violinist, frequently entertaining local audiences at special occasions.

Willis Nowell died in Seattle, Washington, on November 11, 1942.

Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo 6 Biographical Sketch; 1900 U.S. Federal Population Census; Alaska Historical Collection, Nowell Family Papers ca. 1883–1950 MS 18