National Nursing Week runs from Monday, May 12 to Sunday, May 18 — a time to honour and celebrate the unwavering commitment, expertise, and compassion of nurses across Canada and around the world.
Their dedication continues to make a lasting difference in the lives of patients and communities every day.
As Canada marks this special week, it’s also a fitting time to reflect on the vital role nurses have played throughout Rossland’s history, from the earliest days of the gold rush town to the modern era.
The city’s first hospital opened in April 1896, just two years after Ross Thompson first laid claim to the townsite, according to staff at the Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre.
Recognizing the urgent need for medical care in the booming mining community, Reverend A. Lemay reached out to the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Sister Theresa and Sister Stanislaus answered the call, travelling two days from Fairhaven, Washington, and began collecting donations upon arrival.
In less than three months, they established a hospital in a rented two-storey building on Columbia Avenue, close to where the Rossland Public Library stands today.
But as rents climbed, the Sisters took matters into their own hands.
They built a permanent facility at the corner of Columbia Avenue and Georgia Street and named it Mater Misericordiae, Latin for “Mother of Mercy.”
The Sisters transferred their patients — by wheelchair or wooden cart — up the hill to the new site, which would serve the community for over a century.
The hospital officially closed its doors in 2004, but generations of caregivers and support staff, like Sister Loretto (pictured here around 1912 with Mater Misericordiae in the background), left a legacy worth celebrating.
To learn more about the hospital's rich history, visit www.rosslandmuseum.ca/matermis.
Have historic photos of Rossland?
The museum welcomes contributions to the Rossland archives.
Staff can digitize images for preservation and return the originals.
