Rossdale Power Plant, Provincial historic power station in Rossdale, Canada.
Rossdale Power Plant is an early 20th-century electric generating facility along the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton. The site comprises three connected buildings: the Low Pressure Plant, the Administration Building, and Pumphouse Number One, which together formed the system for power generation.
The facility began generating electricity in 1902 and was Edmonton's only power plant for many decades until 1970, when other plants came online. At its peak, it produced about one-quarter of Alberta's electricity before closing in 2008.
The plant was partly built by workers who received financial aid during the Great Depression, highlighting its importance as an employer for the city. This history is woven into the structures themselves and recalls hard times the community endured.
The site is accessible to visitors, though care should be taken as portions of the facility are old and fragile. It helps to wear sturdy footwear and allow extra time in wet or poor weather, as paths along the river can become slippery.
The deep chamber of the Low Pressure Plant extends about 50 feet underground and still contains original machinery from the operating years. These hidden spaces reveal the engineering ingenuity of early electricity generation and offer a glimpse into technologies most people never see today.
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