Mount Hansen was named for Private Eric Selcov Hansen.
Eric’s family left Queensland, Australia for Chilliwack in 1928 and moved to Rosedale in 1932. For many years the Hansen family operated a farm on McConnell Road. They were actively involved in the Provincial Recreation Program and Eric specialized in track and field. He completed Grade 8 and then worked as a farm hand until the outbreak of war. Eric and his brother Dan enlisted in the Canadian Army in August 1940, and went overseas with the Canadian Forestry Corps. In Scotland he transferred to the Armoured Corps, and finally to the Canadian Scottish Regiment. Eric was wounded in Holland, October 28, 1944, but was able to rejoin his unit. He was killed in action February 9, 1945, as a battalion “runner” in the Nijmegan area (Ferguson, 2009).
In 1947, geographical features were named by an agency of the federal government, the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical names after receiving a list of names of Canadian servicemen from Chilliwack who were killed during the Second World War From Canada’s Department of National Defence. The names were divided by province and were to be assigned to geographical features close to the place of enlistment (Grainger, 1998, p.82).
Mount Hansen is located west of Silver Skagit Road between Sowerby and Cantelon creeks.
- Grainger, N. (1998). The Mountain Project.Chilliwack, B.C.: Neil Grainger
- Ferguson, P. (2009). Chilliwack War Memorial. Online exhibit retrieved from http://www.chilliwackmuseum.ca/war-memorial/WW2_H_names.html
Photograph caption: Private Eric Selcov Hansen. [Chilliwack Museum and Archives]