2020 BOO Town Event

Eventsblog posts

Feb. 4

Welcome to BOO Town!

This pandemic has yielded some different sorts of holidays and events. Halloween was no different this year, as families struggled with trick-or-treating safely while appeasing their little monsters’ appetites for candy. Not to mention, the adults of the Kootenays were missing the excuse to create a great costume!

The Museum staff were just as desperate to organize our annual Halloween events in a safe way and fun way for families to enjoy. With the help of local amateur thespians, the Rossland Light Opera Players, and our incredibly artistic and creative volunteers, we were still able to deliver a haunted and even historical experience for our community.

This historical tour took place in the boom town days of Rossland’s past - circa 1900. We can’t recall where we got the inspiration, but it happened to take place during a plague with a mix of fictitious and true vignettes for our audience to enjoy. We hope you enjoyed this incredibly fun event or enjoy the recaps below! And we hope to scare you again in the near future!

Watch the Full Playlist on Youtube

The Plague Doctor

What a reception for our visitors as they walked up the ramp to see a dark and ominous figure - the plague doctor - setting the scene for the journey through Rossland’s haunted history. He was also a great example to mask up during the show.

Night of the endless Can-Can

A fictitious group of gals based on archival material. These can-can girls were dancing in the International Hotel, slaves to the can-can for one hundred years!

They had been told by some “Fancy Dans” that they would surely make money up in Rossland, but this would unfortunately, not be their fate.

Our lovely Can-Can dancers - Reilly, Raven & Chloe

Learn more about this Tragedy

Tragedy at the War Eagle Mine

The bull wheel - or bull gear - on display on the museum's front lawn had been part of the hoist mechanism at the War Eagle Mine. On one fateful day in May 1899, the brake on the mine’s electric hoist failed. A missing safety pin caused a bolt on this gear to slip out of place. As a result, the skip plummeted to the bottom of the mine shaft, killing four men and injuring one.

Learn more in Ron Shearer's "Some Little Known Incidents and Characters" Essay

John Kirkup: The Peacemaker

The highly-regarded John Kirkup was Rossland’s police constable in the late 1890s. The burly, solidly-built lawman was truly a “peacemaker” while the mining camp developed into a civilized town. Kirkup rarely arrested offenders, but settled things right on the spot!

The Sad Tale of Nellie Lake

A true catfish tale! Nellie Lake was a British, financially ruined, middle-aged woman that received a surprise marriage proposal from an admirer - Wilfred Graham - whom she’d met in England. In late 1901 or early 1902, ending an affectionate letter with the single word “come,” Graham invited Nellie to join him in Rossland where they would settle down. Nellie’s father agreed to pay her way to Canada, but, given his financial situation, he could not provide for expenses beyond that. When she arrived in Rossland with little money, Graham was not waiting for her at the train station as expected. Turns out, he was Walter Collins - already a married man hiding behind a false identity!

Robbery on the Black Bear Express

All aboard! - yells the conductor!

Our visitors witnessed a rough and rowdy, hilarious duo robbing our historical train! Don’t fear though, our tough and serious John Kirkup bested the bandits and saved the day, including the conductor!

E. M. Balm: The Undertaker

This fictitious Rossland undertaker is a man of limited embalming skills and excessively bad puns. However, he is a man with a vision and the business sense to go with it. He just can’t seem to understand that his current patient isn’t actually dead yet!

John Ingram: Chief of Police turned Ill-Fated Miner

A marginally-respected Chief of Police, John Ingram was never renowned for his flawless character. He was ushered out of his policing services after a 1903 election and resorted to working in the mines. He was the only casualty on the day of the War Eagle Mine powder house explosion!