Visit the remnants of a massive rockslide in this Alberta mining town
Wander through towering rubble and learn about Canada’s deadliest rockslide in a small Alberta town that sits nestled in the mountains.
Situated in Crowsnest Pass, Frank Slide is a jaw-dropping scene, with remains from the result of a massive rockslide off of Turtle Mountain, which happened in the early hours of April 29, 1903.
The catastrophic 90 seconds forever altered the mining town of Frank in southwest Alberta. More than 70 people were killed when approximately 100 million tonnes of limestone rock came crashing down into the eastern side of the town.
Looking at the slide from a distance reveals the level of devastation the surrounding area suffered, with a huge chunk of the mountain wiped off and scattered below.
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To learn more about this horrifying natural wonder, you can visit the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. “Overlooking the wreckage of the rockslide,” reads Travel Alberta’s website, “the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre tells the tragic tale of the night Turtle Mountain crumbled.”
Visitors will learn about what happened the night Turtle Mountain fell through storytelling, interactive exhibits, and watching the event unfold in the film On the Edge of Destruction. You’ll also find out why the Blackfoot and Ktunaxa called Turtle “the mountain that moves.”
Afterwards, head outside and take a walk along an interpretive hiking trail through the remnants of Frank Slide.
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According to the interpretive centre’s website, coal mining, which had begun in 1900, was initially blamed for the disaster in Frank. Since then, scientists have identified mining as just a secondary or contributing factor, and the main cause of the rock avalanche was the unstable geological structure.
After the rockslide, a number of people who lived in the Frank townsite moved away, fearing another incident. However, many stayed, and Frank’s population grew from 600 people to 1,000 by 1910.
As the town grew, the community of “New Frank” popped up northwest of the original town, across the railroad tracks.
The interpretive centre’s website describes the roar of the slide as being so loud that some people in the town of Cochrane, just outside of Calgary and over 200 km away from Frank, could hear the noise. “Ear-witnesses in and around Frank said the slide lasted approximately 100 seconds,” reads the website. “And the sound was like steam escaping under high pressure.”
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Scientists estimate that rocks were moving at speeds up to 120 km/h as they tumbled down towards the small town.
The last survivor of the slide, Gladys Ennis, passed away in Bellevue, Washington, on March 20, 1993, at the age of 91.
You can help keep the past alive and learn about this historic event at the interpretive centre. Even if you’re just passing through the area on your way somewhere, you can’t miss the huge boulders bordering each side of the highway, so take a minute and consider the magnitude of the rockslide.
Frank Slide Interpretive Centre
Address: 1.5 km off Highway 3 in Crowsnest Pass, Alta.
Phone: 403-562-7388
Hours: Open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Mondays and Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Easter Sunday)
Admission: $15 for adults
With files from Elle McLean