West Kootenay Power & Light Substation - Rossland, BC - Historic Transformer Sub-Stations Buildings on Waymarking.com

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. This building was later converted into a private residence.

Built on a rubble stone foundation, the substation is all brick. When it was converted to a residence the owners were thoughtful enough that they even left the pass throughs for the entering wires in the front gable end. 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 stretch of river between Bonnington and Castlegar with a combined output of over 750 megawatts.

West Kootenay Power

West Kootenay Power and Light Company was incorporated in 1897. Its first project was to build a hydroelectric power station on the Kootenay River near where it joins the Columbia River and then build a transmission line through the rugged terrain down river and up the mountainsides to Rossland. This resulted in what was then the longest and highest voltage transmission line in the world. At 20,000 volts, the line would set new Canadian transmission records and would be the first in the world through alpine terrain.

The first hydro electric generators at Bonnington Falls supplied power to Rossland which became a boomtown in the 1890s. About 7,000 people set up residence in the alpine city along with 42 saloons, 17 law firms and 3 breweries. More than $2 billion worth of gold and other ore was produced and processed at the foot of the mountain. The Bonnington to Rossland project took just under a year, and on July 15, 1898, 500 lights were shining in Rossland.

West Kootenay Power and Light Company's first general manager was Lorne Campbell, who was brought in to supervise the installation of certain equipment at the Lower Bonnington project. Upon its completion, he set in motion what became a long range program to make full use of the Kootenay River's potential. Construction of the Upper Bonnington Plant began in 1905 and was later completed in 1907. The power plant project itself included the largest single piece of concrete construction in British Columbia up to that time.
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