LAST - Miners’ Union Hall in Canada - Rossland, BC
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 49° 04.624 W 117° 48.259
11U E 441261 N 5436334
Rossland's Miners’ Union Hall is located at the west edge of the town at 1765 Columbia Avenue and was the first miners union hall in BC and is the last and only one in Canada.
Waymark Code: WMGDEX
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 02/18/2013
Views: 2
'The hall, a three-storey building of High Victorian architecture is an interesting example of practical elegance. Constructed by the Federation in 1898, the sturdy building is the only Miner’s Union Hall existing in Canada. The hall hosted many spectacular events including travelling vaudeville shows, political rallies and a World Heavyweight Boxing exhibition. The hall was both a hotbed of union activity and a social centre for the community and remains so today.'
'The Western Federation of Miners became an international union when Rossland received its charter in 1895. The Rossland branch was very instrumental in bringing about important Provincial legislation concerning the eight hour work-day and workers’ compensation.'
The union came about because by 1895 Rossland was the largest centre of hard rock mining in western Canada. Gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc were discovered on Red Mountain above Rossland in the 1890s and several large mines were put into operation by the late 1890s, employing hundreds of miners. To protect their interests, they had unionised by 1895.
From Historicplaces.ca:
"Rossland Miners Union Hall is valued as a monument to the Rossland Miners Union No. 38 local of the Western Federation of Miners, the first metalliferous mines union local in BC, and one of the most influential and successful unions in the history of the province. Built in 1898, this historic place was the central organization point for the Miners Union, whose fight for just and safe labour conditions at the end of the nineteenth-century led to the legislation of the eight-hour work day, amended the Trade Union Act, and paved the way for the union movement in British Columbia and Canada."
This building was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places on November 22, 2006 and is registered in the Rossland Heritage Register.
(Text in single quotes is from the Rossland Historical Society.) (
visit link)