Hans Lars Helgesen was a Member of the Legislative Assembly

Member of the Legislative Assembly

A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....

 of British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 from 1878 to 1886. He was a local pioneer, farmer, seafarer, prospector and Member of Parliament for Esquimalt and Cariboo

Cariboo

The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...

.

Born in Asker

Asker

Asker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Viken traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Asker. The municipality is a suburb of Oslo, the national capital...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Helgesen is reckoned to be the first notable Norwegian immigrant to settle permanently in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, arriving from California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 to take part in the gold rush

British Columbia Gold Rushes

The presence of gold in the region that is now British Columbia is mentioned in old legends that, in part, led to its discovery. The Strait of Anian, claimed to have been sailed by Juan de Fuca for whom today's Strait of Juan de Fuca is named, was described as passing through a land "rich in gold,...

. During the 1860s he was elected to the colonial assembly .

In 1878

British Columbia general election, 1878

This was the third election held after British Columbia became a province of Canada on July 20, 1871.- Non-party system :There were to be no political parties in the new province...

 he was elected to the provincial legislature

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

, representing the riding of Esquimalt

Esquimalt (electoral district)

Esquimalt was a provincial electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was one of the province's first twelve ridings upon its entry into Confederation. It was originally a two-member riding...

. He won his seat again in the general election of 1882

British Columbia general election, 1882

This was the third election held after British Columbia became a province of Canada on July 20, 1871.-Non-party system:There were to be no political parties in the new province...

 but was defeated in the election of 1886

British Columbia general election, 1886

This was the fourth election held after British Columbia became a province of Canada on July 20, 1871. The number of members was increased for this election from 25 to 27, and the number of ridings increased to 13.- Non-party system :...

. He ran again in the British Columbia general election, 1890

British Columbia general election, 1890

This was the sixth election held after British Columbia became a province of Canada on July 20, 1871. The number of members was increased for this election from 27 in the previous election to 33, although the number of ridings was decreased to 18....

 but was again defeated, retiring from politics. With another Norwegian immigrant, Alfred Magnusson, he became successful in the development of the commercial fishery in the Queen Charlotte Islands

Queen Charlotte Islands

Haida Gwaii , formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island in the north, and Moresby Island in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of...

. During the early 1900s Helgesen was employed as a fisheries Guardian for the Upper Skeena area and was instrumental in negotiating the Babine barricade agreement of 1906. He was promoted to Fisheries Overseer for the Lower Skeena area in September 1908 and retired in his eightieth year on December 31, 1910. He died in Metchosin, British Columbia.

Legacy

Helgesen Point on Pedder Bay near Metchosin, British Columbia

Metchosin, British Columbia

The District of Metchosin is a small, coastal community in the metro Greater Victoria region of British Columbia. It is part of the Western Communities and one of the 13 regional municipalities. Many Metchosinites are small farmers . Most are retired or work outside the community...

is named for Hans Lars Helgesen as is Hans Helgesen Elementary School, located on Rocky Point Road in Metchosin.

Hans Lars Helgesen was the great-grandfather of the late George William Morrison Mutter (1912-1992), one-time warden for the Cowichan Valley area (Vancouver Island).

Other sources

• Datum: A Newsletter of the Heritage Conservation Branch"(Ministry of Recreation and Conservation vol.3 no.2 spring 1978) Published in Victoria, British Columbia.
• Strangers Entertained: A History of the Ethnic Groups of British Columbia (John Norris, Evergreen Press, Vancouver. 1971)
• The First Hundred Years Metchosin Elementary School 1872-1972 (Marion I. Helegesen) http://metchosinmuseum.org/Contentpages/Schooldays/metchosin_school.htm