Gastineau Channel Memories

Fleek, William Alfred & Leona

Alfreda Fleek Dore

In April, 1911, William (Bill) Alfred and Leona (Hamilton) Fleek with their 20 month old son, Dale, arrived in Treadwell, Alaska. The Fleek?s came from Little Cooley, a small town in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where they were both born and raised on family farms. They were guests of Mr. Fleek?s older brother George Arthur and his wife Elizabeth (Berg) Fleek, at their home on St. Ann?s Avenue, Treadwell, Alaska.

Other children of William Alfred and Leona were son Everett, born in 1911, Effie in 1912, Albert in 1914, Norman in 1915, Irvin in 1917, Wilfred in 1919, Dayton in 1923, Clayton in 1925, Alfreda in 1926 and Gwendolyn in 1931. Children still in Alaska are Effie (Lindstrom) Harvey Lynch, a resident in the Ketchikan Pioneer Home; Clayton, a resident in the Juneau Pioneer Home; and Alfreda Dore, in Douglas. Irvin lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred (Pauline Kulper) Fleek are in Seattle. Other family members are Mrs. Dale (Charlotte Campbell) Fleek in Lebanon, Oregon; Mrs. Albert (Mary Pearce, Hartley) Fleek, Ferndale, California; and Mrs. (Dayton) Alvera (Robertson) Fleek, Aren, Chicago, Illinois. Valerie, daughter of Dayton and Alvera Fleek, passed away in 1998.

Bill Fleek passed away on May 17, 1948, in Walla Walla, Washington, while recuperating from surgery and burial was in the Evergreen Cemetery in Juneau, Alaska. Other members of the family buried in the Evergreen Cemetery are Gwendolyn, 1931, Norman, 1933, Everett, 1935, Dayton, 1951, Mrs. Albert (Shirley Hoffman) Fleek, 1974, Mrs. Leona (Hamilton) Fleek, Eley, 1976, Dale, 1979, Albert, 1981. Also buried in the family plot are baby boy of Dale Fleek, baby girl of Albert Fleek, and baby girl, Gail Ann, of Clayton Fleek. The family plot is also the resting place of family members William H. Dore Sr., 1982, and Paul M. Harvey, 1983.

Bill worked for mines in Treadwell and the Alaska Gastineau Gold Mine in Thane. Using his skills in the machinist and plumbing trades, he operated the Fleek Machine Shop and Fleek Transfer in Douglas until his sons Albert and Irvin became owners in 1945. Irvin added a modern oil truck, marking the beginning of the Douglas Trucking Company. Bill was actively involved in gold cleanup jobs with his sons, older brother George, and nephew Howard Hayes in the Gastineau Channel area. In 1945-1947, he worked placer claims in the Valdez, Alaska area. Bill was also interested in, and built several smaller boats for family use, and a documented vessel for a Treadwell Mine official.