May 8 was National Train Day, and in a town shaped by rail, it’s worth remembering just how much track had to be laid, blasted, and battled for to get Rossland on the map.
Building railways through the Kootenays was never going to be easy.
But the promise of gold had a way of motivating ambition and blasting through mountains when necessary.
Take a look at Engine #94 on the Columbia and Kootenay Railway, seen in this historic photograph somewhere between Nelson and Castlegar.
The exact date is unknown, but the image tells a clear story: the train clings to a trestle high above a drop, with the track carving its way around unforgiving cliffs and deep valleys.
This was the only way to keep trains on an even grade through rugged terrain.
Such feats of engineering weren’t just impressive, they were essential.
According to staff at the Rossland Museum, the city's mining boom in the early 1890s needed more than horse-drawn wagons to reach full potential.
In those early days, ore had to be hauled down to the United States for smelting, a time-consuming and expensive business venture.
Enter Daniel C. Corbin, an American railway entrepreneur with a plan.
He aimed to link Rossland to the expanding U.S. rail networks, speeding ore to American smelters.
But he wasn’t alone.
Fritz Augustus Heinze, a bold industrialist with big ambitions, had a different vision.
He began constructing a smelter in Trail and laid track to Rossland, determined to keep the operation entirely within Canadian borders.
The race was on. And Heinze won.
Read more: The instrumental ‘Colonel’ in town history
His railway opened on June 11, 1896, six months ahead of Corbin.
For a few years, both men operated competing rail lines, driving economic growth and transforming the region.
Eventually, their lines were absorbed by larger railway companies, but the mark they left on the West Kootenay remains.
The railways made Rossland’s mining industry viable, and in turn, helped build the community we know today.
Visit rosslandmuseum.ca/trainstation to learn more.
Have original photos that capture the city's rich history?
The Rossland Museum welcomes contributions.
Staff can digitize images for preservation and return the originals.
