Name origin The
Sinixt First Nation called the Rossland area ''kEluwi'sst
or kmarkn''. As to the word meanings, suggestions have included an "important temporary camp" or "up in the hills" for the former, and "smooth top" for the latter, referring to Red Mountain. Once mining claims were staked, the area became known as Trail Creek camp, the creek name derived from the
Dewdney Trail. The final naming acknowledged Ross Thompson, who
preempted 160 acres in 1892. He subdivided the land into lots in 1894 to become the townsite of Thompson. A few months later, the name changed to Rossland. The postal authorities may have requested the amendment to avoid confusion with similarly named places.
First claims In July 1890, partners Joe Bourjouis and Joe Morris staked claims on Red Mountain, but the assays were disappointing. Since an individual could register only two claims, the pair paid the $2.50 per claim to register the Center Star, War Eagle, Idaho and Virginia. For $10, they gave their Le Wise claim to the Deputy Recorder of Mines, "Colonel" Eugene Sayre Topping, to register for himself as Le Roi. Leaving government service, Topping joined a Spokane syndicate that purchased 53 per cent of the property from him for $16,000 that November. The following spring, several tons of ore went by mule down the mountain and along the Dewdney Trail to Trail Creek Landing at the creek mouth. Following boat transport to Little Dalles, Washington, the
Spokane Falls and Northern Railway (SF&N), and connecting lines, railed the product to the Colorado Smelting and Mining Company Works at
Butte, Montana.
Wagon roads & deals During 1891, a patchwork of mines operated on the mountain, Le Roi Mining and Smelting Company was incorporated, and Topping sold his remaining interest for $30,000. Late the next year, a ferry across the river from the SF&N station at
Northport, Washington connected with Oliver Durant's new wagon road from Red Mountain. A fleet of 40 wagons to Northport largely replaced the mule trains to
Trail. That year, Bourjouis and Morris sold their Center Star and War Eagle mines, which with the Le Roi, produced 96 per cent of the mountain's 1,500,000 tons of ore to 1903. In 1893, an wide wagon road was graded along Trail Creek, to win back traffic for Trail. The mountain output of 18,500 tons in 1894 increased ten-fold the next year. The next year, Le Roi's contract to exclusively supply the Trail smelter expired. When Le Roi owners opened the Northport smelter in January 1898, competition further intensified. That March,
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) purchased the C&W and Trail smelter. That July, the
Northern Pacific Railway (NP) acquired the RMR, C&RM, and Northport smelter.
Early community Since miners did not own the land upon which their tents or shacks stood, many acquired freehold lots in town for permanent residences. In February 1895, the first edition of the Rossland Record listed a blacksmith, a tinsmith, a cobbler, a customs agent, a baker, a land surveyor, a lawyer, two sawyers, two barbers, three doctors, four bartenders, four hoteliers, and a justice of the peace. Months later, strict John (Jack) Kirkup became the constable. A ten-passenger coach ran to Trail Creek Landing. Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches, and a school, were soon established. In January 1896, a small electricity generator came on line, and was later upgraded. In 1898, West Kootenay Power became the supplier from
Bonnington Falls dam. In March 1897, Rossland became a city. The eight doctors, 17 legal firms, and 42 saloons served an estimated 7,000 residents. This peak aligned with the 1901 census count of 6,000. A string of newspapers followed, the Rossland Miner being the most enduring. The fire of August 1902 consumed both sides of upper Spokane Street, leaving only the old International Hotel standing. A December 1905 explosion wrecked roofs and shattered windows. The fires of January 1927, and March 1929, levelled the wooden buildings of Columbia Street. Depleting mines,
World War I, and the
Great Depression shrank the population. In 1906, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada (CM&S), a consortium comprising the smelter and several Red Mountain mines at Rossland, was formed. CP had a 54 per cent holding. In 1911, CM&S bought Le Roi mine, gaining a virtual monopoly over mountain ore. Under new owners, the Northport smelter worked part-time during World War I, permanently closing in 1921. Service frequency on the railway line to Northport diminished during this period, with the last run in July 1921, and abandonment the next year. == Demographics ==