In 1898, the West Kootenay Power and Light Co. first delivered electrical power to Rossland over a 32 mile long, 22,000-volt line from Bonnington Falls on the Kootenay River - the longest and highest voltage transmission line in the world at the time. This brick substation sheltered the transformers and equipment required to step down and deliver power to the city and the mines on Red Mountain just above the town. The substation was replaced with a larger and more modern one in 1929. Remaining in commercial use for over a half century, this building was converted into a private residence in the 1990s.
Built on a rubble stone foundation, the substation is all brick. When it was converted to a residence the owners were sufficiently foresightful that they even left the pass throughs for the entering and exiting wires in the gable ends. This building has been entered in the Rossland Heritage Register.
The dam (Bonnington Number One) which supplied the electricity was refurbished in 1925 with new generators and turbines installed later and continues to operate today. More dams have since been built on the Kootenay, with a total of six on a relatively short stretch of river between Bonnington and Castlegar with a combined output of around one gigawatt.
HISTORY
In 1897 the substation was built to facilitate the electrification of Rossland. The electrical system had four basic components- the dam and power house at Bonnington Falls on the Kootenay River, the transmission line from the power house to the substation, where the power was reduced or stepped down using manually operated transformers and the distribution network which provided usable electricity for customers. The substation initially housed 20,000 volt lightening arrestors which protected the insulators and conductors from damage from lightening. This substation allowed Rossland to grow beyond a resource town into a city. Electrification was essential to the success of the mining operations which fueled local development, business and governance. Rossland was illuminated by electric lights for the first time in 1898.
Lorne Campbell was hired in 1898 to serve as manager of operations. He later went on to be company president. He lived in and served Rossland for over 50 years. He also served as B.C. Minister of Mines and Finance and was instrumental in the massive industrial development of this region.
1907 the substation was hit by lightening. It hit a transformer on top of a pole on Columbia Avenue. The regulator was knocked out and the large cog wheel was broken into pieces. It burned out fuses in the power house and all the lights in the city went out. Thirty telephones were put out of commission. The motors of the major mines all stopped but were up and running again in fifteen minutes. The lights of the city were restored in two hours. In 1929 the substation operations were shut down at this location and moved to Columbia Avenue. The equipment was dismantled in 1930 and shipped to Allenby. From 1930 to 1990 the building was used for storage.
In the 1990s the building was sold as a private residence.
From Heritage Rossland
West Kootenay Power & Light Substation
Description of Historic Place
The West Kootenay Power & Light (WKP&L) Substation is a one-storey Romanesque Revival style brick building with a gable roof located in a residential neighbourhood in the Upper Rossland neighbourhood, in Rossland, B.C. The building sits at the western edge of Planer Crescent.
Heritage Value
The West Kootenay Power & Light Substation has historic, social, and aesthetic heritage values for representing West Kootenay Power & Light's electrical system which was a major catalyst to the early boom period in the West Kootenay.
Constructed in 1897, the heritage site is significant as a key element of the electrical system developed by the West Kootenay Power & Light Company (inc. 1897) to provide an abundant and reliable source of power for the many working mines on Red Mountain. The company was the first hydro-electric utility company in the province, and at that time, had the most powerful electrical distribution system in the province and the longest high-voltage transmission line in the world. Electrical power developed through hydro generation, was an innovation at this time and West Kootenay Power & Light was at the leading edge of its development in North America, particularly in its ability to service both industry and community settlements.
The electrical service was not only significant to cost reductions in local mining operations, but the Rossland Substation being an early, reliable and consistent source of deliverable/usable electricity also serviced the City of Rossland, the smelter in Trail, the Nelson tramway, and residents and businesses in other nearby communities.
The fact that the West Kootenay Power & Light Co. established its headquarters and substation in Rossland, is a reminder of the important administrative, economic, and executive position that Rossland held in the region at the end of the nineteenth century.
The Substation has aesthetic value for its industrial Romanesque Revival style design features, including bilateral symmetry, arched window and door openings.
Character-Defining Elements
The elements that define the character of the West Kootenay Power & Light Substation include its:
- Original elevated location above and away from Rossland's historic downtown
- Industrial use until 1930, commercial use until 1990s, residential detail use since 1990s
- Industrial Romanesque Revival Style design features, including bilateral symmetry, arched window and door openings
- Gable roof and the gable ends which are punctuated by former openings for electrical cables
- Stone foundation
- Evidence of original design elements, including locations of original chimneys
- Evidence of its use as an electrical substation, including surviving porcelain tubes and glazed terra cotta pipes visible on the exterior walls, and four triangular wooden hoods that protected them (only one survives on the west facade)
From Historic Places Canada