PRESS RELEASE: The RMDC’s new digital exhibit “Gold Mining to Gold Medals: A Century of Ski Racing in Rossland” is ready to launch!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre’s new digital exhibit “Gold Mining to Gold Medals: A Century of Ski Racing in Rossland” is ready to launch!

Photo 2289.0014 preserved by the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre, digitized courtesy of Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History.

ROSSLAND, BC – Did you know that Rossland has sent more racers and coaches to provincial and national ski teams than any other ski club in Canada? How did our small town make this happen? Well, that's what the newest exhibit by the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre is all about!

Demonstrating its commitment to preserving the culture and history of Rossland and area, the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre (RMDC) is delighted to announce the launch of a new digital exhibit many years in the making: “Gold Mining to Gold Medals: A Century of Ski Racing in Rossland.” The exhibit was developed with funding from the Digital Museums Canada investment program, as well as developmental support provided by the Trail & District Arts Council for the video components. 

Photo 2292.0038 from the RMDC collection, digitized courtesy of Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History: Len Camozzi, winner of the Last Grey Mountain Grind held in 1946.

This online, digital exhibit traces the history of ski racing in Rossland and on Red Mountain from the early days of Olaus Jeldness (1898) to the sale of the Red Mountain ski area to a private investment group in 1989. It features photographs from the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre’s photo collection and the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History Image Bank, objects from the RMDC’s physical collection, and video and audio recordings from the Rossland Memories Oral History Project. “Gold Mining to Gold Medals: A Century of Ski Racing in Rossland '' will be accessible through the Digital Museums Canada website: www.digitalmuseum.ca, as well as at the RMDC.

“I’m so pleased that we were able to work with the community to tell the amazing story of the history of ski racing in Rossland - it’s an important and inspiring story,” said Sarah Taekema-Slot, RMDC Research Manager and the coordinator of this project. “It’s a story that defines our community, and I think it’s about time that the rest of the country learned what we already know: that Rossland is a community that dreams big and works together to achieve great things!”

Image 2292.0018 from the RMDC collection, digitized courtesy of Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History: Nancy Greene, circa 1958.

The RMDC would like to extend a big thank you to the community for making this project possible. This exhibit celebrates our community’s volunteerism and spirit for over one hundred years. We could not have done it without the many community members willing to share their stories, provide photos and artifacts, respond to questions, and more. We are indebted to Ginger Baines, Butch Boutry, Alice Chiko, Al Fisher, Ruth Grubisic, Joan Hanson, Richie Mann, Fiona Martin, Libby Martin, John Platt, Nancy Greene Raine, Don Stevens, Patricia Stevens, Robin Valentine, and Sean Valentine. 

“So much heart and soul went into developing the ski racing culture at Red Mountain and Rossland,” said Libby Martin, a contributor to the project. “It’s wonderful to see some of the key contributors like coaches, instructors, volunteers, and racers acknowledged. It truly was a labour - and a legacy - of love and Rosslanders should be so proud of what we have and can accomplish when we pull together.”

Photo of Butch Boutry on the face of Red, circa 1955. From the Rossland Archives, found in collection.

The launch of this exciting new exhibit will be celebrated at the Rossland Museum with an Open House on February 10, 2024 from 3:00 - 5:30 pm. Refreshments will be provided, and the exhibit will be accessible for visitors to explore. 

“Gold Mining to Gold Medals: A Century of Ski Racing in Rossland” is made possible through the generous support of Digital Museums Canada, the Trail & District Arts Council, and the Nelson & District Credit Union.

Media Contact:

Fiona Lane (she/her)

Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre

PO Box 26, 1100 Hwy 3B, Rossland, BC

Phone: (250) 362-7722

Email: admin@rosslandmuseum.ca

Website: www.rosslandmuseum.ca

About the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre

The Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre (operated by the Rossland Historical Museum & Archives Association) aims to preserve and dynamically present the history and culture of Rossland and area. We are the visitor gateway to the Kootenays and the Columbia Basin, and we inspire and engage the public through virtual and real-life displays that bring our history and culture to life. The Museum is open year-round and welcomes visitors of all ages.

The Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre acknowledges that we live and work on unceded Sinixt tmxʷúlaʔxʷ (homeland).

About Digital Museums Canada

The Digital Museums Canada investment program helps build capacity in Canadian museum and heritage organizations and gives Canadians unique access to diverse stories and experiences. Digital Museums Canada is managed by the Canadian Museum of History, with the financial support of the Government of Canada.