Just in time for the summer tourist season, Deanne Steven of Tourism Rossland was pleased to unveil a set of 19 plaques on historic downtown buildings.
The plaques correspond to most of the 29 buildings on the Heritage Walking Tour brochure published by Tourism Rossland in partnership with the Rossland Historical Museum. The plaques are not only on the downtown Columbia Avenue strip, Steven said, but also at the courthouse, the Catholic Church, the United Church, and “the old powerhouse up on Planer” — the West Kootenay Substation.
“This is a nice little walking tour we have and a great way to spend an afternoon exploring town,” Steven said.
Each plaque has a written description and a picture of the building as it was, back in the day. The information on the plaques is “a little bit more in-depth” than the information already available in the walking tour brochure, she said.
Many people’s effort has helped the project along, Steven said. The Rossland Museum archives were vital for photos and information, the Heritage Commission lent their expertise, Jane Paterson edited and wrote text, and Steven Harder from Interior Signs “did a really good job at a really good price,” Steven said. “We’re really appreciative.”
The Columbia Basin Trust funded the project with a grant through last year’s Community Initiative Program.
Tourism Rossland aims to market Rossland as a year-round destination within the context of the community’s vision and values. Steven hopes the plaques will “highlight more of our historical assets” and “give people more reason to stay longer in the summer.”
Steven was glad the project has almost achieved its goal, but wasn’t surprised it had taken a year.
“It’s really complicated,” she said, “there are a lot of players.”
Not all the signs are up as some remain to be installed, “but as soon as they’re all up, I’m going to EveryTrail them,” Steven said, coining the verb to refer to the online GPS-trail application for iPhones and other handheld devices. Software freely available at www.everytrail.com allows users to follow trails that were recorded and uploaded by other EveryTrail users.
Then “people can actually do the [heritage walking tour] with their handheld,” she said.