Waydelich, West
Primary Name: John W. Waydelich
Filed as: Waydelich, John W.
Also known as: “Wes” Waydelich; “West” Waydelich
Died: August 17, 1914 – Juneau, Alaska
Associated places: Auke Bay, Juneau, Alaska; Stikine River; Windham Bay; Shuck River; Cassiar; Montana; Cariboo
Occupation / Association: Farmer; miner; early settler
Affiliation: Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo; member, ’87 Pioneers Association
Keywords: Auke Bay homestead, Waydelich Creek, early Juneau settlers, Auke Bay agriculture, Alaska mining frontier
Biography
John W. Waydelich was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo and was one of the first white settlers in the Auke Bay area.
Waydelich’s birthplace is not recorded, although he was reported to have been a graduate of Yale University. He first went west to Montana, then to the Cariboo and the Dominion of Canada, and eventually into the Cassiar.
In 1874, he operated a farm on one of the islands at the mouth of the Stikine River. He later moved to Windham Bay, where he mined on the Shuck River.
In 1881, he moved to Juneau. In 1892, he claimed a 160-acre homestead “on Auk Bay, about two miles east of Old Auk Town,” on the creek that now bears his name. He cleared 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 that organization in the Territorial Museum.
Usually known as “Wes” or “West,” he died at Juneau on August 17, 1914. At the time of his death, his age was reported as both 74 and 80.
Waydelich Creek, located on the mainland and discharging into Auke Bay about eleven miles northwest of Juneau, was named for John W. Waydelich. The name has been incorrectly spelled “Wadleigh” on some maps.