The Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre hasn’t offered tours of the Le Roi mine in 14 years. But many people still come through the doors expecting to be taken underground.
“Yeah, all the time,” laughs museum manager Joelle Hodgins.
“We definitely still have people in on a regular basis asking when the next mine tour will be. But they’re equally excited about what is to come, so we’re pretty gung-ho to get going on that.”
What is to come is an interactive above-ground version of an underground tunnel, to which the federal government recently announced it will provide $100,000.
“Our space is pretty limited so it will be a smaller area than you would have within an underground mine tunnel itself,” Hodgins explains.
“Ultimately we’ll cover the different components or techniques and have multiple exhibits about hard rock mining in Red Mountain.”
The simulated tunnel will emerge into an assay office that will double as a way to display the museum’s extensive collection of geological specimens and provide a timeline of industrial and community development.
Hodgins says while planning has already been well underway for the last year, they are updating their cost estimates. “Costs have really skyrocketed, so we’re trying to figure out a way to make our project still happen,” she says.
It’s part of a broader museum renewal that began in 2012.
The virtual mine experience, to which Teck Trail operations also donated $700,000, is the second phase of the project, which also includes an atrium addition, allowing for an expanded gift shop and visitor centre and additional space for travelling exhibits.
Hodgins says the federal grant, from a fund for enhancing tourism experiences, will be spent on planning. More money will be required to carry out the actual work.
The original underground tour, which was a mainstay of the museum for decades, was closed after some students were accidentally locked in the mine for a few hours in 2009. Teck, which owns the property, shut down the tour and later concluded it could not be reopened due to much larger safety concerns.
