Alice Jesse Weber
Essays, Museum Research Rossland Museum Essays, Museum Research Rossland Museum

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.

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The Flying Steamshovel
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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?

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British Columbia Firefighters’ Museum
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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.

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The Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day - May 1945
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The Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day - May 1945

May 5th marks 75 years since the Netherlands was liberated from Nazi occupation in the Second World War (1945), and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. The First Canadian Army was instrumental in pushing the German forces out of the Netherlands, and as a result, Canada and the Netherlands have a very special relationship to this day.

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Rossland Range Plane Crash
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Rossland Range Plane Crash

On October 18, 1947 a Royal Canadian Air Force plane carrying nine people crashed in the Rossland Range. The aircraft was heading north in stormy weather with seven military personnel and two civilians. The weather was grim that day, it was the first snow of the season, the wind was howling, it was foggy, and visibility was very limited.

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Music City: The Rossland City Band
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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.

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Inventing the Walkie Talkie
Museum Research Rossland Museum Museum Research Rossland Museum

Inventing the Walkie Talkie

Rossland has seen its fair share of local celebrities. From Olaus Jeldness to Nancy Greene & Kerrin Lee Gartner.  Aside from gold and snow, what else is Rossland famous for?

Our inquisitive minds and resident tinkerers would be pleased to learn that the first version of what we now know as the “walkie talkie” was developed by one of our own: Donald Hings.

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