The Basin Record Newsletter Vol.2 Issue 5

Basin Biography Nils Hanson “Hanson the hospitable” he was known as, or “mine host,” or later simply “the Guvnor.” Famous for his generosity and gracious entertaining from the mid- 1880s until his death in 1917, Nils Hanson drew people from all over East Kootenay to his lake and garden oasis at Wasa. Born at Skole in the southern part of Sweden on April 30, 1854, Hanson entered into the business of distilling whiskey. C.M. Edwards indicated that it was Mr. Hanson’s failure to submit certain monies due to a Swedish agency corresponding to our Revenue Canada that caused Nils to leave Sweden in some haste in 1878. He settled in Billings, Montana, just before the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway. Hanson started a trading post which he ran successfully until 1882, then closed it and went to work on the Northern Pacific as it pushed westward. Entering British Columbia he eventually stopped at Farwell on the crossing of the Columbia River (now known as Revelstoke). Hanson established another trading business, which quickly grew to include a store, hotel and liquor wholesale business. In 1885, hearing of a wonderful wide valley, virtually uninhabited except for the accommodating and (at that time) nomadic members of the Ktunaxa Nation, Hanson decided to move to East Kootenay. He purchased 640 acres of land on the Kootenay River from the Kootenay Valley Company and packed in. It is thought Hanson named his home ranch “Wasa” after an early Scandinavian king who was known to be hospitable and kind. Wasa quickly became the most popular stopping place on the winding and weary stage route between Golden and Fort Steele. It was a long time between drinks after leaving Golden. “In the old days there were very few people in the country,” Nils Hanson wrote in 1908, “But all that were there were friends. We had no troubles (of course that was before there were any lawyers or preachers in the country) and we had sufficient of money (this was before there were any banks) to carry us along.” Hanson immediately acquired cattle and located a blacksmith on the home ranch, attracting both local settlers and passers-by. Securing a steam-powered sawmill Hanson cleared part of his property and built a hotel, store, livery barn, several cottages and a house to accommodate his very popular poker games. George James claimed that this house was perfectly round with a round table in the centre big enough to accommodate 12 players. History makes it clear that “the Guvnor” was very successful at that round table. In replying to an inquiry from the Swedish and Norwegian Vice Consul in 1896, C.M. Edwards listed Hanson’s holdings as follows: “He owns 3 saw-mills, carries a stock in trade valued at $5,000.00, has 1,100 acresd of good land, and owns probably 100 head of cattle. His financial position is very good and he is generally regarded as one of the leading men of this end of East Kootenay.”