Paraphrased from donor’s notes: William C. Seyfer was born April 6, 1879 in Pepin, Wisconsin. He died July 12, 1964, at age 85, at a hospital in Wabasha. He was given the surname Seyffer at birth, however, as “relatives wanted his money when he returned from Alaska so he changed the spelling before he returned from Alaska.” Seyfer worked as an “Eng. Watchman Fireman” on the Washington and Colorado Railroad on his way from Pepin, Wisconsin, to Alaska in 1898. Seyfer remained in Alaska until 1930 where he was first a goldminer. Seyfer found a large quantity of gold, but lost much in the crash [of 1929]. Then he started his own hauling company and helped build the road to Mt. McKinley [now called Denali]. Seyfer returned to Wisconsin where he bought a farm. He married in 1931. He and his wife, Emma Wohlferd, lived and worked on the farm in Hicks Valley, until 1958. Seyfer and Emma then moved to Pepin. He served as treasurer of the Hicks Valley school district for 12 years.