Alicia Wallace
Rossland News
The City of Rossland’s Official Heritage Register contains 29 buildings and 13 sites. These same heritage items are also listed on the Rossland Heritage Commission’s (RHC) website, launching this week at www.HeritageRossland.com. The website brings together all of the information that has been researched and gathered on Rossland’s historic places to date.
The idea for a website on Rossland’s Heritage came about after the six years of research without an official home for all the content that public could have easy access to.
The website has been designed by HLF Images of Rossland and will be made live just in time for Heritage Week. The theme for the 2015 Heritage Week in B.C. is Main Street: At the Heart of the Community. The week kicks off on Monday Feb. 16.
The Website has photos, histories, value statements and maps presented in a focused and attractive, easy to navigate format.
“The Rossland Heritage Commission is pleased to provide this website on behalf of the city and to share its information with all interested viewers both local and abroad,” explains Jackie Drysdale chair of the RHC.
The Website is administered by the RHC. Drysdale says additions are always welcome as this site is a work in progress. The Website is linked to the City of Rossland website and that of the museum and the Chamber of Commerce.
The City of Rossland has many buildings and sites that have a strong connection to the exciting gold mining era of more than a hundred years ago. The Heritage Commission is very pleased with this project and its benefits in telling more about Rossland’s early history as Canada’s premier gold mining center for 30 years.
“The beauty of the Heritage Rossland website is that it is a focused, complete, attractive, easy to reach source of information about Rossland’s heritage buildings and sites,” said Drysdale.
Drysdale described the difference between history and heritage and explained the definition of heritage for the commission relates to buildings and sites of significance to the community.
Plans to introduce the website include sessions with students of Rossland Summit School. The RHC will also be welcoming the public to explore the website on computers provided at the Rossland Legion from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on the Feb 18 and 19.
The RHC was created through a by-law of the City of Rossland in 2009. The RHC’s mandate is to identify, preserve and conserve those buildings and sites that are valued by the community for their historic significance in telling the story of Rossland’s development, particularly of the gold mining era between 1895 and 1929.
The RHC endeavors to promote public awareness and appreciation for Rossland’s many heritage places that are an important part of our visual and built environment and that help to define our community’s identity.
Despite three disastrous fires in Rosslands’ downtown (1902, 1927 and 1929) the historic streetscapes still exist to charm the visitor. Encouragement of sympathetic infill and restoration of facades which follow the City’s Design Guidelines have created a downtown that Rosslanders are proud of.
“Today many communities are leveraging the heritage of their downtowns as assets to stimulate tourism, attract new residents, provide affordable housing, and encourage investment by creating affordable space for smaller businesses and start-ups, as well as authentic retail experiences,” describes Heritage BC.