The Frank Slide Disaster | Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada
The Frank Slide disaster was a rock slide that buried part of the mining town of Frank, Alberta, Canada on April 29, 1903. Around 110 million tonnes of limestone rock slid down Turtle Mountain. It was one of the largest landslides in Canadian history and remains the deadliest, as between 70 and 90 of the town's residents were killed, most of whom remain buried in the rubble.
Multiple factors led to the slide: Turtle Mountain's formation left it in a constant state of instability. Coal mining operations may have weakened the mountain's internal structure, as did a wet winter and cold snap on the night of the disaster.
Frank Slide Interpretive Centre -
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Frank Slide Interpretive Centre
The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre recently commemorated the 110th anniversary of North America's deadliest rock slide. We took a trip out to Crowsnest Pass to check out some of the renovations done to the Centre in the last couple of years.
Frank Slide Crowsnest Pass Alberta Canada
In 1901, American entrepreneurs Sam Gebo and Henry Frank developed the first of many coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass, in the base of Turtle Mountain. In May that year the first buildings were erected in the new community of Frank, located on flat land between the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks and the mine. The town’s grand opening on September 10, 1901 was an all-day event that included sporting competitions (with engraved medals for the victors), tours of the mine, a banquet, and a dance. Two special trains brought in the guests, and the gourmet food (including a ton of ice cream). Henry Frank presided over the event, which was attended by the premier Frederick W. A. G. Haultain, his public works minister and federal Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton.[2] Frank became the first incorporated village in the Pass and by 1903 served 1000 people with two dozen businesses and services, a two-story brick school and a regional post office.
The Frank Slide of 1903 destroyed much of the mine’s infrastructure, several rural businesses, and seven houses on the outskirts of Frank, killing 70-90 people. However the mine reopened within weeks and the rail line was soon re-established through the slide path. Frank continued to boom, and in 1905-06 a new residential subdivision was developed out north of the tracks to keep pace with mine production, a new zinc smelter, and a new three-story hotel (Rocky Mountains Sanatorium) close to a cold sulphur spring. A small zoo was built near the hotel.
However a period of decline soon followed. Due to market forces the zinc smelter never operated, and was converted to an ice skating arena. Fears of a second slide led to a government-ordered closure of the south townsite in 1911, and over the next several years its buildings were torn down or moved. The 1905 subdivision remained, but Frank ceased to be an important centre after the mine closed temporarily in 1912 and permanently in 1917. The Sanatorium, converted to a military hospital in 1917, was torn down in 1928 after a period of abandonment. The post office was finally closed in 1968[3]
Today, Frank is a quiet residential community of about 200 people, with few hints of its promising past. It is the smallest of the five towns that amalgamated into the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in 1979. The Frank Slide was designated a Provincial Historical Resource in 1977, and in 1985 the provincial government opened a major interpretive centre in Frank that explains the Frank Slide and the coal mining history of the region. The site of the original Frank townsite is now an industrial park, and many of the historic buildings in the north subdivision are gone, including Gebo’s stately mansion and the Catholic Church blown down by wind in 1917. But there are a few houses that are over a hundred years old, and you can still see pieces of century-old wood-stave water pipes in Gold Creek, part of the foundation of the zinc plant (and the tunnel that connected it to its hilltop chimney), and an antique fire hydrant in the old closed townsite.
The Frank Slide, Alberta
The Frank Slide, Alberta
A small town shown at the base of a mountain. The mountain's face stands barren following a large rockslide and a light cloud of dust is visible in the air.
The town of Frank and Turtle Mountain on April 30, 1903, one day after the slide
Date April 29, 1903
Time 4:10 AM MST
Location Frank, District of Alberta, Northwest Territories(note)
Coordinates 49°35′28″N 114°23′43″WCoordinates: 49°35′28″N 114°23′43″W
Deaths 70–90+
Website Frank Slide Interpretive Centre
The Frank Slide was a rockslide that buried part of the mining town of Frank, Northwest Territories,[nb 1] Canada at 4:10 am on April 29, 1903. Over 82 million tonnes (90 million tons) of limestone rock slid down Turtle Mountain within 100 seconds, obliterating the eastern edge of Frank, the Canadian Pacific Railway line and the coal mine. It was one of the largest landslides in Canadian history and remains the deadliest, as between 70 and 90 of the town's residents were killed, most of whom remain buried in the rubble. Multiple factors led to the slide: Turtle Mountain's formation left it in a constant state of instability. Coal mining operations may have weakened the mountain's internal structure, as did a wet winter and cold snap on the night of the disaster.
The railway was repaired within three weeks and the mine was quickly reopened. The section of town closest to the mountain was relocated in 1911 amid fears that another slide was possible. The town's population nearly doubled its pre-slide population by 1906, but dwindled after the mine closed permanently in 1917. The community is now part of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Province of Alberta and has a population around 200. The site of the disaster, which remains nearly unchanged since the slide, is now a popular tourist destination. It has been designated a Provincial Historic Site of Alberta and is home to an interpretive centre that receives over 100,000 visitors annually.
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Please watch: Medicine Hat Toy Run 2019
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Frank Slide, Crowsnest Pass, Frank, Alberta
Day 25 6-24-16 We drive up the Crowsnest Pass to Frank Slide. It took 90 seconds for a mountain to slide down into the town. There were 70 known people immediately killed and are still buried under tons of rock and mud. This area ALWAYS gives me goose bumps. I really, really don't like to drive that road.
Hwy 3, Crowsnest Pass and the Frank Slide, Alberta
On Highway 3, the Crowsnest Highway, heading west and entering into the municipality of Crowsnest Pass. At 3:00 minutes we are entering the debris field of the Frank Slide disaster that took place in April 1903. See the link for more information
Music: The Brightwings (Woman Of The World)
Frank Slide Interpretive Centre
Crowsnest Pass, Frank Slide
Video shot with : Sony FDR-X3000 Action Camera
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Exploring Canada's Deadliest Rockslide | Frank Slide | Life is Better Exploring | S1 E6
In this episode we explore Canada's deadliest rockslide in Frank, (Frank Slide) Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. The Frank Slide was a debris avalanche rockslide that buried part of the mining town of Frank, Alberta Canada. It happened at 4:10 a.m. on April 29, 1903. Around 110 million tonnes of limestone rock slid down Turtle Mountain. Witnesses reported that the rock had reached up the opposing hills in approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds, obliterating the southern/eastern edge of Frank, the Canadian Pacific Railway line and the coal mine. You can find out more information at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre.
The most amazing part of the Frank, is the geology and natural beauty of the area. Stunning vistas, beautiful mountain forests, clear streams and unique environments, ...and golden eagles. The spot is along the main corridor of the greatest concentration of migrating golden eagles in the world. The eagles use the Rocky Mountains and the play the angles of the wind and the up currents to 'surf' the wind and migrate north and south in spring and fall, sometimes soaring hundreds of kilometres a day with minimal effort. If is a spectacular area with a rich mining, rail and natural history. Explore the Pass!!
Camping, traveling and exploring the outdoors in the Rocky Mountains is what you'll find on our channel. We are Brian and Janet Damen, and we've been camping together for over 20+ years.
Along with our 2 dogs, Kennedy and Gibson, we continue to explore the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountains from our home base in the Crowsnest Pass. We hope this inspires you to get our in nature and camp, no matter what your budget, and while you’re at it, maybe just “Take the Scenic Route” to get there. Life is Better Exploring!
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Exploring Canada's Deadliest Rockslide | Frank Slide | Life is Better Exploring | S1 E6
Deadliest Rock Slide in Canada's History! Frank Slide Interpretive Center- December 2019
Frank Slide
Turtle Mountain let loose a rock slide of epic proportions which wiped out the small mining town of Frank, Alta., an area which is known today as Frank Slide 113 years ago.
ALBERTA - Frank Slide
Turtle mountain collapsed and caused a rock slide that destroyed the mining town of Frank, Alberta on April 29, 1903 - between 70 and 90 were killed
Monica explains Frank Slide – Bonus Video - THE OTHER SIDE TV, Season 3, Episode 12
(DELETED SCENE) Monica, who works at the Frank Slide Interpretative Centre, explains the mining disaster in 1903 and her experiences in the Bellvue Mine. Shot during the paranormal investigation at the Bellvue Mine at Crowsnest Pass in Alberta, Canada.
Watch more behind the scenes from Season 3 here:
The Other Side is a television series featuring Canadian ghost hunters with an Indigenous twist.
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Frank Slide - Fast, Furious & Unforgiving
On April 29, 1903 at 4:10 AM, the quiet coal mining town of Frank, Alberta, Canada, population 600, is abruptly awaken by sound and rumbling beyond belief.
The Frank Slide in Alberta Canada hd
A showing of the Frank Slide mountain location in Alberta Canada with the fallen ones on the cross Canada tour
THE FRANK SLIDE INTERPRETIVE CENTER 2018
Frank Slide
The Frank Slide was a rockslide that buried part of the mining town of Frank, Northwest Territories,[nb 1] Canada at 4:10 am on April 29, 1903. Over 82 million tonnes (90 million tons) of limestone rock slid down Turtle Mountain within 100 seconds, obliterating the eastern edge of Frank, the Canadian Pacific Railway line and the coal mine. It was one of the largest landslides in Canadian history and remains the deadliest, as between 70 and 90 of the town's residents were killed, most of whom remain buried in the rubble. Multiple factors led to the slide: Turtle Mountain's formation left it in a constant state of instability. Coal mining operations may have weakened the mountain's internal structure, as did a wet winter and cold snap on the night of the disaster.
The railway was repaired within three weeks and the mine was quickly reopened. The section of town closest to the mountain was relocated in 1911 amid fears that another slide was possible. The town's population nearly doubled its pre-slide population by 1906, but dwindled after the mine closed permanently in 1917. The community is now part of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Province of Alberta and has a population around 200. The site of the disaster, which remains nearly unchanged since the slide, is now a popular tourist destination. It has been designated a Provincial Historic Site of Alberta and is home to an interpretive centre that receives over 100,000 visitors annually.
Frank Slide in Frank Alberta
Here is video footage I took of Frank Slide in Frank, Alberta on Monday June 4, 2012.
You can read more about the history of Frank Slide here:
Aerial tour of Crowsnest Pass
A little aerial tour of the Crowsnest Pass starting at Lundbreck Falls and then Burmis Tree, Leitch Collieries, a few old mine structures near Bellevue, Frank Slides, and then finished of with a view of Blairmore, Alberta.