Mike Wigley - Tales from a Splitboarder: Walking to Glory
Mike Wigley, splitboarder extraordinaire, was the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre's December Speaker Series presenter. It was a spirited kick-off to winter in Rossland! Mike regaled us with tales from his adventures skiing Old Glory Mountain and wove in some of the history of Old Glory and his journeys along the historic routes for accessing that area from Rossland.
Harry Measure: "Mountain Resorts & Resort Communities: Origins & Future Opportunities."
Harry Measure, an Urban Designer + Historian, shared a presentation entitled "Mountain Resorts & Resort Communities: Origins & Future Opportunities" for the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre’s October Speaker Series, Harry shared his extensive research and lived experience from designing, planning, and living in mountain resort communities all over the world. In this presentation, he analysed the mountain resorts of the Columbia Basin, shared some of the insights he’s acquired from his work all over the world, and considered possible futures and opportunities for our Golden City.
William "Spike" Treverton - Signalman for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division WWII
The Rossland Museum has an ongoing project to learn more about the men and women that served in the armed forces overseas. We will continue to add information as it comes available. We will remember them.
William Treverton (1910-1984)
Percival Knight Allen - Trooper for the Lord Strathcona's Horse Boer War
The Rossland Museum has an ongoing project to learn more about the men and women that served in the armed forces overseas. We will continue to add information as it comes available. We will remember them.
Percival Knight Allen (1875-1917)
The "Spanish Flu" in Rossland
With Germany’s surrender to the Allied Powers, World War I finally ended on November 11, 1918, but the flu was just getting going in Rossland. From late October 1918 until February of 1919, nearly everyone got the flu. Almost 50 people died in five weeks - five weeks of absolute hell. Those that could continued to help, just as Rosslanders always do. From October 25 until the end of November, 47 people died. The last three people died in January and February. The majority of victims who were in their prime, between 20-35 years of age. Everyone who had it either recovered completely, experienced cognitive, respiratory effects or died, but ultimately herd immunity was achieved probably in February 1919 when the virus appears to have dissipated.
Pte. Alfred Lindsay - Canadian Infantry 7th Battalion WWI
The Rossland Museum has an ongoing project to learn more about the men and women that served in the armed forces overseas. We will continue to add information as it comes available. We will remember them.
Private Alfred “Fred” Lindsay (1893-1915)
Edmund "Eddie" Thomas Cox - RCAF Pilot Officer (WWII)
The Rossland Museum has an ongoing project to learn more about the men and women that served in the armed forces overseas. We will continue to add information as it comes available. We will remember them.
Edmund “Eddy” Thomas Cox (1917-1943)
Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross
Called “Miss Serene Efficiency” and “The Lady with the Facts,” Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross was a great contributor to Canadian political, social, and cultural life. To date, Phyllis is most well-known as the mother of John Napier Turner, who in 1972 became Minister of Finance under Pierre Trudeau, and had a brief, three-month stint as Prime Minister of Canada in 1984. She was an incredible woman in her own right and we’re pleased to highlight her personal legacy!
Alice Jesse Weber
Alice Jesse Weber found herself in Rossland in the boomtown days of the late 1890s. She was raised in Kansas, and set off on her own as soon as she could. She headed west and rode the wave of gold rushes from California to Alaska. She married a Mr. Weber in Seattle and had a beautiful daughter; a picture of her daughter was one of her greatest treasures. According to Jess, her husband had not treated her well, and she left her family and drifted across the border to British Columbia, eventually settling in Rossland.
The Flying Steamshovel
How Could They Forget the Flying Steamshovel?
There has been, and still is, considerable controversy surrounding this peculiar story. As you read on, just keep in mind:
The Wright Brothers’ first powered, sustained, and controlled airplane flights took place in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and
Paul Cornu is credited with the first free vertical ascent in a helicopter in 1907, France
Meanwhile, the Flying Steamshovel is reported to have flown in 1901! SO, should the Golden City be acknowledged as the true birthplace of man’s conquering of gravity?
Quarantine and Isolation in Early Rossland
Caught up in the restrictions imposed in the attempt to control the covid-19 pandemic, it is interesting to look back at Rossland’s first attempt to contain an epidemic imported from abroad - in this case, a smallpox epidemic in 1900. The parallels with today are striking.
British Columbia Firefighters’ Museum
A short-lived, well-loved memory from Rossland’s past, the BC Provincial Firefighters’ Museum in Rossland’s heritage firehall garnered positive thoughts from visiting volunteer firefighters and families interested in the art of firefighting, who were delighted with the wealth of information, stories, and objects on display.
Music City: The Rossland City Band
Rossland has been home to many bands over the past 120 years. In 1898, Canada's Governor-General, Lord Aberdeen was welcomed into Rossland by a group of a hundred miners and a brass band. Parades in early Rossland almost always included more than one marching band. Individual groups and communities in Rossland like the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Miner's Union and the Italian community had bands. However, the Rossland City Band was one of the community's longest-running groups.
Was Rossland built on a dormant volcano?
On Episode 2 of Talk Like A Local, Tourism Rossland asked, "Was Rossland built on a dormant Volcano?" Check out the episode here.
Ross Thompson
For someone widely revered as the father of Rossland, surprisingly little is known about Ross Thompson. The published commentaries on his life of which I am aware repeat the same few stories and are almost silent on the later years of his life. This is my attempt to enrich -- but, unfortunately, not complete -- the narrative. Because of the scarcity of reliable information, what follows is rife with unanswered questions and speculations. The questions must remain unanswered unless further evidence is discovered, but I propose the speculations as plausible in the circumstances and not pure fantasy. In any case, they are clearly identified and can be rejected or ignored.
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2024
- Dec 2, 2024 The Old Dewdney Trail Dec 2, 2024
- Dec 2, 2024 Lights, Camera, Digitization! Dec 2, 2024
- Nov 5, 2024 Remembering Our Veterans: 2024 Veteran Highlights Nov 5, 2024
- Jun 17, 2024 Learning mxiɬp - Cedar in the Sinixt Homeland Jun 17, 2024
- Jun 5, 2024 Growing Up in Remarkable Times in Rossland Jun 5, 2024
- Jun 2, 2024 Collections Care: Textiles Jun 2, 2024
- Mar 14, 2024 A Legend Carved in the Slopes: The History of the Grey Mountain Grind Mar 14, 2024
- Feb 29, 2024 Speaker Series Replay: “The Ice Man from British Columbia” with Bill Hanlon Feb 29, 2024
- Jan 16, 2024 History of the S.S. Rossland Jan 16, 2024
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2023
- Dec 6, 2023 Red Mountain Volunteer Ski Patrol Dec 6, 2023
- Jul 30, 2023 An Introductory History of Pride in the West Kootenays Jul 30, 2023
- Feb 14, 2023 Behind the Curtain: The History of the Rossland Light Opera Players Feb 14, 2023
- Feb 8, 2023 James W. Thompson Feb 8, 2023
- Jan 18, 2023 Smelter Wars by Ron Verzuh Jan 18, 2023
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2022
- Nov 1, 2022 Rossland Red Cross: Women's Volunteer Service During the Second World War Nov 1, 2022
- Nov 1, 2022 Air Raid Precautions (ARP): Rossland Civilian Defence During the Second World War Nov 1, 2022
- Nov 1, 2022 James "Jimmy" Harper: Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force (WWII) Nov 1, 2022
- Nov 1, 2022 Garth "Bunny" Beley: Flight Officer in the Royal Air Force (WWII) Nov 1, 2022
- Nov 1, 2022 Benjamin "Ben" Allen: Private in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (WWI) Nov 1, 2022
- Mar 30, 2022 Jessie McQueen Mar 30, 2022
- Mar 30, 2022 The Rossland Club Mar 30, 2022
- Feb 8, 2022 Thor Heyerdahl Feb 8, 2022
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2021
- Dec 14, 2021 Mike Wigley - Tales from a Splitboarder: Walking to Glory Dec 14, 2021
- Nov 9, 2021 Harry Measure: "Mountain Resorts & Resort Communities: Origins & Future Opportunities." Nov 9, 2021
- Nov 5, 2021 William "Spike" Treverton - Signalman for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division WWII Nov 5, 2021
- Nov 5, 2021 Percival Knight Allen - Trooper for the Lord Strathcona's Horse Boer War Nov 5, 2021
- Oct 26, 2021 Rossland's Historic Cemeteries Oct 26, 2021
- Jul 20, 2021 Adrian Leslie: Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Restoration Jul 20, 2021
- Jul 9, 2021 The Gold Fever Follies: A Rossland Tradition for Over 30 Years! Jul 9, 2021
- May 27, 2021 Cindy Devine: "Ticket to Ride" - Cultivation of a Champion May 27, 2021
- May 13, 2021 Marilyn James: Sinixt Dialect Revitalization, Countermapping, and Resurgence May 13, 2021
- Mar 31, 2021 The Miners’ Union Hall (circa 1898) + The Rossland Provincial Courthouse (circa 1900)" Mar 31, 2021
- Feb 17, 2021 The "Spanish Flu" in Rossland Feb 17, 2021
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2020
- Nov 5, 2020 Pte. Alfred Lindsay - Canadian Infantry 7th Battalion WWI Nov 5, 2020
- Nov 3, 2020 Edmund "Eddie" Thomas Cox - RCAF Pilot Officer (WWII) Nov 3, 2020
- Oct 30, 2020 The Rebekahs Oct 30, 2020
- Oct 28, 2020 Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross Oct 28, 2020
- Oct 27, 2020 Alice Jesse Weber Oct 27, 2020
- Oct 21, 2020 "The Girl" - A Memoir by Susie McClung Inghram (1936) Oct 21, 2020
- Jun 11, 2020 The Flying Steamshovel Jun 11, 2020
- May 22, 2020 Quarantine and Isolation in Early Rossland May 22, 2020
- May 21, 2020 British Columbia Firefighters’ Museum May 21, 2020
- May 5, 2020 The Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day - May 1945 May 5, 2020
- Mar 30, 2020 #MuseumAlphabet Mar 30, 2020
- Feb 25, 2020 Rossland Range Plane Crash Feb 25, 2020
- Jan 10, 2020 Music City: The Rossland City Band Jan 10, 2020
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2019
- Jul 8, 2019 Was Rossland built on a dormant volcano? Jul 8, 2019
- Jul 5, 2019 Inventing the Walkie Talkie Jul 5, 2019
- Jan 25, 2019 Agnew & Co. Jan 25, 2019
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2018
- Oct 10, 2018 Some Little Known Incidents And Characters From Rossland's Golden Age Oct 10, 2018
- Aug 14, 2018 Ross Thompson Aug 14, 2018
- Aug 14, 2018 Yes, There Was Skiing Before We Built The Chairlift Aug 14, 2018
- Aug 14, 2018 Mid-Winter Mardi Gras: Rossland's Winter Carnival Aug 14, 2018
- Aug 14, 2018 The Chinese and Chinatown of Rossland Aug 14, 2018
- Aug 14, 2018 Olaus Jeldness by Ron Shearer Aug 14, 2018