Lighthouse Keepers

Please help us fill in names and dates for Eldred Rock Lighthouse keepers.  This is what we have after research through LighthouseFriends.com and US Lighthouse Society Archives. Most of the time, there were 3-4 keepers at the lighthouse.

NOTE: BM is Boatswain’s Mate, SN is Seaman, FN is Fireman and EN is Engineer, OIC is Officer in Charge

Nils Adamson (First Head Keeper @ $1000/year): May 24,1906- Jan. 5, 1911 Resigned, reportedly haunted by the loss of his assistants.

Gust J. Hall (First Assistant): 1906 – 1907

John H. Anderson (Second Assistant): 1906 – 1907

John ‘Scottie” Currie (Assistant, later First): ~1907/1908 – March 26, 1910; From Scotland. Disappeared March 26, 1910, while rowing to Point Sherman Lighthouse with John Silander—never found, presumed drowned.

John Silander (Assistant): ~1907/1908- March 26, 1910; From Finland. Disappeared with Currie.

Alex Wiebe (also Alexander/Aleksander Wiebe) (Assistant): 1910 (likely post-March, as replacement after the tragedy); Born Estonia 1871, from a lighthouse family on Vilsandi Island. Served briefly here before other Alaska stations (e.g., Five Finger).

Arthur Nielsen (Assistant): 1910 – 1912

Alphues Jewett (Head Keeper): 1911 (brief, post-Adamson)

David H. Somerville (Assistant, transitional): ~1911

Harry F. McBride (Head Keeper): 1912

Charles P. Mercer (Head Keeper): 1912 – 1915

Baard Jens Lervick (Details unknown) :~1913?

S. E. Lenizzly (Details unknown): ~Sept 20, 1914?

John Erickson (Details unknown): July 18, 1914?

Wm. A Shoemaker (Details unknown):  1914 (?)

Carl E. Peterson (Head Keeper, multiple stints): 1915–1916, 1920, 1922–1923

Robert McKlem (Head Keeper: 1916 – 1918

Charles McLeod (Head Keeper: 1918

George Stinson (Head Keeper: 1918–1919, 1921–1922

Nils C. Monsen (Head Keeper : 1919–1920, 1920–1921

William A. Phillips (Head Keeper : 1923 – 1924

John W. Barnes (Head Keeper : 1924 – 1926

Harry A. Dickman (Head Keeper): 1926 – 1928

Sam Olsen (Details unknown): ~ 1927

Samuel L. Atkinson (likely assistant or head): 1930

T. J. Rhines (First Assistant): ca 1932–1933; Passed away January 22, 1933, at the lighthouse (apparent heart attack).

H. W. Chambers: ca 1934

J. W. Tyacke: ca 1937, also 1939-1940

Harry N. Ferguson: ca 1937

Frank H. Story: ca 1937

J. Paul Mestrezat: ca 1939 (also served as Keeper of Five Finger Lighthouse)

Paul M. Strand: ca 1939

John W. Tyacke (Details unknown): ca 1939

Arthur E. Johnston: ca 1939-1940

Ward J. Nettleton: ~1940–1941

Jack D. Goehring: ca 1941-1942

John DeMan: ca 1942-1943

Fred G. Wilkes: ca 1942-1943

Stanley W. Pridham:1946

Glenn Lee: 1958-1959

Ken Wierzbiki: 1958-1959

Layton King, BM2: 1961-1962

John Woddie, SN: 1961-1962

Dave Hardman, EN2: 1961-1962

Leo Fohl, FN: 1962-1963

Larry Winters, SN: 1962-1963

John Sweeney, BM1: 1962-1963

Gordon Huggins, EN2: 1962-1963

Kenneth Wayne Augustus, EN2: 1963-1964

Robert Keeling, EN2: 1963-64

Leland Lupton, BM1: 1966 (stationed with dogs PP and Kenmore)

John Adams (or McAdams), BM1 (OIC): 1969-1970

Arthur F ‘Wes’ Westney, EN2: 1969-1970

Don ??, FN: 1969-1970

Ralph Crane, SN: 1969-1970

Stan Hedgecorth, BM3 or EN3: Temp duty from Group Juneau, 1969-1970

“Kenmore” (black lab), 1969-1973

“PP” (yellow lab), 1969-1973

??  McWilliams:1970-1971

Tom Nygaard, SN: 1970-1971

Tom A. Schmidt BM1 1971-1972

Charles O Russell, EN2: 1972-1973

Steve Vormbrock, SN: 1972-1973

David Diedrich, FN: 1972-1973

Norm Bagger, BM1: 1972-1973