Established in 1955, the present museum was built on the site of the Black Bear adit of the Le Roi Mine in 1967 as a Canadian Centennial project. This museum is actually a three-fer. If you've a mind to tour Rossland then almost certainly you'll want to see the museum, as well as check out the information centre. They carry provincial Accommodation Guides, road maps, travel guides, Super Camping and many other provincial, regional and local brochures. The third? - A gift and souvenir shop that will actually sell you gold and silver, among other things.
The museum deals with the local history of the Rossland area, which centres around the mines on the mountain above the museum. The mines, which came into being after the initial discovery of gold on Red Mountain in 1890, are the sole reason that Rossland came to be. The museum has quite a story to tell of the rise and fall of hard rock mining in the area, concurrent with the rise and near fall of Rossland itself.
The museum and information centre are on the grounds of the old LeRoi Mine, many years defunct, and from 1967 to 2009 it offered guided tours of the mine and its workings. Due both to safety concerns and the desire to protect important bat habitat, the mine entrance has been closed, allowing entry only to its present denizens, a colony of bats.
Out front of the museum is probably the biggest air compressor you'll ever see - about 50 feet long altogether, powered by a 602 horsepower electric motor. It was used to power air drills down in the mine, and could power 40 drills at once. Check it out
here.
Up the hill toward the mine site are a collection of outdoor displays, including a pair of vintage fire trucks, a 1917 Packard truck, two more large electrically powered air compressors once used in the Le ROI mine, a CPR caboose, a pair of vintage visible gas pumps, complete with a mock service station, and a Le Roi Mine tool shed filled with tools, a large rock and petrified wood collection and a mock up of the mine superintendent's building. Also, one will find a section of a Cedar tree which has been dated to 1601.
How to find the centre? On the west end of Rossland, Columbia Avenue ends at a Tee intersection which is Highway 22 going south and Highway 3B going north. On the north side of the highway, across from the end of Columbia Avenue is "where it's at".
Our Museum
We offer displays on Rossland’s social, cultural, and sport history, Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company and industry/geology in the region, West Kootenay Power & Light Co., Rossland/Red Mountain Skiing history, and many other interesting exhibits and photographs depicting the early history of Rossland.
We are located right on the Black Bear/Le Roi Mine site - the designated
Kootenay Mining Region National Historic Event site.
We acknowledge that we live and work on unceded Sinixt t?mx?úla?x? (territory).
Our Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre is located at the museum for all visitors' travel information needs. We carry provincial accommodation guides, road maps, travel guides, camping guides, and many other provincial, regional, and local brochures. We also offer a place to rest and relax with coffee/tea by donation and free Wi-Fi. Concession snacks are also available year round. Accessible Public Washrooms and RV Parking.
From the Rossland Museum