William Helm (March 9, 1837 – April 10, 1919) was an American sheep farmer and among the early pioneer settlers of Fresno County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He was instrumental in the growth and prosperity of the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

. Helm was vice-president of the Fresno Bank of Central California, and the president of the Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company.

Early life

Helm was born in the province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada on March 9, 1837, about forty miles above

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, on the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. He is the son of George and Mary (Oliver Helm), both of whom were born in

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. Brought up on the home farm, Helm acquired an education in the district schools, and under his father's instruction. Helm left home in 1856 to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

for three years engaged in lumbering and operating a sawmill on the Chippewa River. In 1859, Helm sailed from New York City to

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

by way of

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. He traveled to

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

and searched for gold in Placer County but soon found it unprofitable. He spent the next three years as a butcher, first in Foresthill, Todds Valley, and then in Bear river in Placer County. He saved his money and decided to raise sheep for a living. In 1865 he married Francis Sawyer Newman, and they had seven children together.

Fresno, California

Helm brought his wife and his sheep to Fresno county, which was then a vast space of open land, before the railroad came through the valley. He was one of the earliest settlers to experiment with growing wheat. Helm was the largest individual sheep grower in Fresno County. In carrying his

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

to market at Stockton, he used three wagons, each drawn by ten

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

s, and spent twelve days in making the round trip. When the railroad came through the valley in 1872, it was a great benefit to Helm. At Dry Creek, on section four, Helm bought a ranch six miles northeast of Fresno. He acquired up to 2,640 acres, paying one dollar an acre. He bought additional land to establish a winter camp for his sheep on the present site of the Fresno court house. His herd increased rapidly, at one time owning 22,000 head of sheep. In 1881, because of a growing family, Helm bought the block bounded by Fresno, R, Merced and S Streets from Louis Einstein. He built his home there in 1881 where it stood for 71 years. As their daughters married, Helm gave them parts of the block on which to build their homes. The Fresno Community Hospital was built on this block in 1959.

Death

Helm died on April 10, 1919, at the age of 82, following a lingering illness of seven months. He died at the home of his daughter, Jessie Marie Helm. Helm, California was named after William Helm.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helm, William 1837 births 1919 deaths Farmers from California Canadian emigrants to the United States People from Fresno, California

Early life

Fresno, California

Death

See also

References