Compiled by the Rossland Historical Museum from the pages of the Rossland Miner. Please fill out the Rossland Museum Survey, available at the Museum or online at www.rosslandmuseum.ca
100 Years Ago
August 1912
Work on the Blue Bird
The four-drill compressor, new hoist and pump on the Blue Bird are now in operation. A force of men was put to work deepening the shaft, which is down 198 feet and is to be extended down to the 300-foot level. The ledge is strong and wide in the bottom of the shaft. The four-drill compressor is furnishing 80 pounds of air to the square inch for the drill… it is thought that the 300-foot level will be reached in a month.
Free Gold in the Nickle Plate
C.J. Rice and Jack Ruffner, who have a year’s lease of the Nickle Plate, have made a find of free gold, which promises to net them a considerable sum before they have worked it out. In the shaft (there is) a ledge that is two and a half feet in width that has a streak four inches wide that contains free gold in large quantities. Specimens of gold in nugget form (called free gold) are not uncommon here. Fifteen years (ago) Edgar Plewman … found several large gold nuggets near a small opening (at Black Bear). The I.X.L. and O.K. have (also) yielded a large quantity of free gold.
Cheap Electric Power an Asset
Rossland is the business centre of the West Kootenay Light and Power Co. Power is transmitted from Bonnington Falls on the Kootenay river, a distance of 32 miles, to the mines of Rossland, and is also used in lighting the city. In the year 1898 power was first transmitted into Rossland and from that year up to the present time the mines and other industries have continued to use electric power for all their operations. The town itself is beautifully illuminated from the energy of the Kootenay river. The lights of the City of Rossland present a spectacular appearance to the passengers coming into the town over the C.P.R. at night.
Around Town
At the Palace Theatre… the following films will be shown: On the Warpath. Mr. Peck Goes Calling. Beautiful Voice. Hank and Lank (popular tune). Caught with the Goods. The summer price is 10 cents.
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Joseph Rowe was returning to town (and) had his beagle dog with him, who began to bark, and on looking to see what he was making such a fuss about Mr. Rowe saw that what angered the dog was a big, black bear. The latter stood on his hind legs and began to tear the bushes with his front paws, and was evidently working himself up to a passion. The dog snarled, showed his teeth, while the hair on his back fairly bristled and stood his ground. Bruin was within six feet of the dog when Mr. Rowe called him away as he did not wish to lose a $50 dog.
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Raise of Wages at Smelter: For all regular places of work, laborers will (now) be paid $2.75 instead of $2.50 per day.
75 Years Ago
August 1937
District Mines Contribute Extensively to the Smelter with Ore and Concentrates
Five local mines, the Midnight, I.X.L., Gold Drip, Mayflower, and Union are among the district shippers to the Trail smelter. The I.X.L. was by far the biggest shipper locally, with over 150 tons (for the first six months of 1937).
Large Increase in Number of (Swimming Pool) Members, as Compared with Last Year
Another sign of the return of Mr. Prosperity is shown by the increase in the number of seasonal swimming tickets sold by the Rossland Swimming Pool thus far in the term. The number of membership cards sold this year (255 members) is nearly twice the number sold the previous season.
C.P.R. Engine Breaks Small Rail, Derails
On its return from the “Y”, a C.P.R. freight engine (weighing 186,000 pounds) smashed three feet of a short twelve foot rail near Fourth Avenue, and ran off the track with seven of the bigger wheels. The broken rail is much narrower than other rails in that small area, and broke off four feet from the joint.
