City of Rossland Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary, British Columbia

City - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a city municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. SW of Trail, Kootenay Land District

Mapped Location

City of Rossland: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on City of Rossland

  • Feature Type: Incorporated

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for City of Rossland

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
City of Rossland Official

 

Origin Notes and History of City of Rossland

References to City of Rossland that document the origin of its place name

City of Rossland incorporated 18 March 1897; confirmed in the 17th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 31 March 1922, and 2 June 1950 on 82F/4.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Rossland Post Office was opened 1 March 1895. See also the municipality's own website.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Named after a miner, Ross Thompson, who in 1890, located and pre-empted claims of 160 acres, obtained title, plotted it as a townsite and preceeded to build. He had called the townsite "Thompson", but as there already was a town with that name in BC, changed the name to Rossland. "We are requested to say that the owners of the townsite at the Trail Creek mines have changed the name from Thompson to Rossland" (The Miner, 8 September 1894). Or, this slight variation: "When the LeRoi, Lily May, Centre Star and War Eagle claims were staked in 1889-90, miner Ross Thompson had a small cabin nearby. He came and went, prospected and hunted. His log cabin was his castle, and the locals referred to "Ross' Land" somewhat ironically. After word of the richness of the new camp became known, the incoming prospectors, miners and capitalists continued to use the name "Rossland"." (Nelson Daily News, 20 June 1928)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-10-01