The Rebekahs
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The Rebekahs

The Deborah Rebekah Lodge #13, a fraternal order and service organization associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), was instituted in Rossland on April 12, 1899. Over their 121 years of service in Rossland, the Lodge has made numerous contributions to the community, supporting local, provincial, national, and international causes such as health care, the war effort, the 1908 Fernie fire survivors, the 1948 Trail flood cleanup, and a local scholarship program. In the late 1970s, members of the Lodge started what would become the legendary Rebekah Rhythms, or the "Granny Band," which brought smiles and laughter to countless Rosslanders for over 30 years.

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Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross
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Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross

Called “Miss Serene Efficiency” and “The Lady with the Facts,” Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross was a great contributor to Canadian political, social, and cultural life. To date, Phyllis is most well-known as the mother of John Napier Turner, who in 1972 became Minister of Finance under Pierre Trudeau, and had a brief, three-month stint as Prime Minister of Canada in 1984. She was an incredible woman in her own right and we’re pleased to highlight her personal legacy!

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Alice Jesse Weber - "Old Lady Jess"
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Alice Jesse Weber - "Old Lady Jess"

Alice Jesse Weber found herself in Rossland in the boomtown days of the late 1890s. She was raised in Kansas, and set off on her own as soon as she could. She headed west and rode the wave of gold rushes from California to Alaska. She married a Mr. Weber in Seattle and had a beautiful daughter; a picture of her daughter was one of her greatest treasures. According to Jess, her husband had not treated her well, and she left her family and drifted across the border to British Columbia, eventually settling in Rossland.

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"The Girl" - A Memoir by Susie McClung Inghram (1936)
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"The Girl" - A Memoir by Susie McClung Inghram (1936)

In 1964, the Rossland Museum received a copy of Susie McClung Inghram’s memoirs published in 1936. Susie wrote her memoirs over the course of her time in British Columbia (Rossland, Midway) and northern Washington state (Spokane) from 1893-1897. The Girl, as Susie calls herself throughout the booklet, vividly describes the realities of life in boomtown Rossland from her perspective as a rare female in that setting.

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The Flying Steamshovel
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The Flying Steamshovel

How Could They Forget the Flying Steamshovel?

There has been, and still is, considerable controversy surrounding this peculiar story. As you read on, just keep in mind:

  • The Wright Brothers’ first powered, sustained, and controlled airplane flights took place in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and

  • Paul Cornu is credited with the first free vertical ascent in a helicopter in 1907, France

Meanwhile, the Flying Steamshovel is reported to have flown in 1901! SO, should the Golden City be acknowledged as the true birthplace of man’s conquering of gravity?

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Quarantine and Isolation in Early Rossland
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Quarantine and Isolation in Early Rossland

Caught up in the restrictions imposed in the attempt to control the covid-19 pandemic, it is interesting to look back at Rossland’s first attempt to contain an epidemic imported from abroad - in this case, a smallpox epidemic in 1900. The parallels with today are striking.

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British Columbia Firefighters’ Museum
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British Columbia Firefighters’ Museum

A short-lived, well-loved memory from Rossland’s past, the BC Provincial Firefighters’ Museum in Rossland’s heritage firehall garnered positive thoughts from visiting volunteer firefighters and families interested in the art of firefighting, who were delighted with the wealth of information, stories, and objects on display.

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The Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day - May 1945
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The Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day - May 1945

May 5th marks 75 years since the Netherlands was liberated from Nazi occupation in the Second World War (1945), and Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. The First Canadian Army was instrumental in pushing the German forces out of the Netherlands, and as a result, Canada and the Netherlands have a very special relationship to this day.

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Rossland Range Plane Crash
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Rossland Range Plane Crash

On October 18, 1947 a Royal Canadian Air Force plane carrying nine people crashed in the Rossland Range. The aircraft was heading north in stormy weather with seven military personnel and two civilians. The weather was grim that day, it was the first snow of the season, the wind was howling, it was foggy, and visibility was very limited.

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Music City: The Rossland City Band
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Music City: The Rossland City Band

Rossland has been home to many bands over the past 120 years. In 1898, Canada's Governor-General, Lord Aberdeen was welcomed into Rossland by a group of a hundred miners and a brass band. Parades in early Rossland almost always included more than one marching band. Individual groups and communities in Rossland like the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Miner's Union and the Italian community had bands. However, the Rossland City Band was one of the community's longest-running groups.

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