om.

ta

_

CHAMPIONSHIP SKIER
AND
HARD ROCK MINER

A championship skier and
a hard rock miner might
seem an unusual com-
bination. But if you travel to
the West Kootenay town of
Rossland, you'll tind their
stories tied closely together.

What binds them are the
mountains near this town,
sister community to Trail. It
was on the slopes of Red
Mountain back in the 1890’s
that the mining claims that
led- to’ Rossland’s ‘boom
years were. staked. And it
was on the slopes of Red and
Granite mountains that a
young skier who was to

become world champion

learned her sport.

[ROAM AT

A TRAVEL BRITISH COLUMBIA FEATURE J

Now the stories of the.
mines and of Nancy Greene
are told graphically in the
exhibits at. -the Rossland
Museum and Le Roi Mine.

The miners’ story. came

first. In July of 1890,

‘prospectors Joe Bourgeois

and Joe Morris staked five
claims on Red Mountain.
They went to Nelson to
register their claims, giving
one of them — the Le Wise —
to the deputy mining

recorder instead of paying

‘him the $12.50 recording fee.

In one of those ironies that
abound in- British Colum-
bia’s mining history, the Le

Wise — renamed the Le Roi -

~ turned out to be the
richest of the five claims,
yielding $30 million in gold

“and copper ore in its 40.

years 0f activity: The

mining. recorder . sold | his

interest for $30,000,-a ‘good

profit on. his - $13.50. in-
vestment,

Le Roi and the other four
claims were the centre of

‘the copper- gold mining

boom that’ created

Rossland. There were 3,000 oe

people there in 1895, 7 000 at
the peak in ‘1897, before the

boom burst and’ the town ;

went into decline.

Cominco, the mining giant -
that sustains Rossland and }

Trail today, bought the Le
Roi in 1910; it was phased
out in 1928, although some
desultory mining activity
continued.

Today’s visitors can
descend into the Le Roi and
take a trip into. the mining

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past. Garbed
the constant temperature of
5 deg. C., they walk one of
the mine’s tunnels to see

displays. of the drills and.

other equipment that
challenged the rock of Red
Mtn. Guides demonstrate
the equipment and: tell the
story of the Le Roi. |

Outside. the mine,

| equipment and: chunks of
rock maa mine.are on

display.

- In the museum n buildings
themselves, . more. of
history ‘is
presented. A wing opened

just this year is devoted

entirely to bottles from the

| 1895 to 1910 era, all of. them

unearthed in the: Rossland

: area. There were probably a.

lot of bottles to choose from:

-at its peak, the town housed
42 hotels and saloons; four

in blanket
capes as protection against.

breweries. and three
wholesale liquor outlets.
‘The other, part of the

‘museum leaves mining

behind but stays close to
mountains. It is devoted to
the’ career of world
champion skier Nancy
Greene, who was raised in
Rogsland and learned to ski

t Red ‘and. Granite
Mountains.
The museum houses

Nancy’s skis and some of
her ski clothes, skiing
medals including the 1968
Olympic gold and silver
earned in the giant slalom
andslalom, and the 1967 and.
1968 World Cups.

The Rossland Museum
and Le. Roi Mine are open
daily, mid-May to October.

(This Roam at Home .
article is one of a series:
provided by the. Department
of Recreation and Travel
Industry. )

4620 Lakelse
Terrace

Monday - Saturdey 9: 30 1 p.m. to 2 oa

ee et ee neve

Fri-Sat. $2, 00 § per person