Rossland Museum present speaker series highlighting the life of local legend Roly Warsfold

Two skis and a sickle

Photo: Flickr

The Rossland Museum will be hosting a speaker series documenting the life of a Norwegian settler.

Olaus Jeldness arrived in Rossland in 1984 in a similar fashion as the thousands of other miners that flocked to to the town searching for gold in Red Mountain.

Jeldness was different. This particular miner wielded a sickle and a pair of skis. He ended up having an even bigger impact on the town than he could imagine and became a local folk hero

Fast forward 100 years and Rossland resident Roly Worsfold has been researching and sharing his story for years.

"I wouldn't be living and skiing in Rossland today if it weren't for Olaus," he said. "A lot of other people wouldn't be either."

Worsfold was the driving force behind the Spirit of Red Society. The group has raised funds to install the now-iconic statue of Olaus at the corner of Washington and Columbia streets in Rossland.

Guests can expect to learn about Jeldness’s' life and legacy, and some of the experiences he gained while installing the statue.

The speaker event titled: Rossland Recollections with Roly Worsfold: The Olaus Story, is scheduled for April 10 at 6 p.m. at the Rossland Museum.

Fiona Lane from the Rossland Museum said that there will be refreshments for attendees of the speaker's series.

"It will be around an hour to an hour and a half,” said Lane.

To RSVP, click here or visit the Rossland Museum website fore more information.