In the early morning hours of April 29, 1903, 110 million tonnes of rock came crashing down the side of Turtle Mountain, burying a portion of the town of Frank. This small town in the Crowsnest Pass was home to about 600 citizens, 100 of which were directly in the slide path, and more than 90 people lost their lives that morning. What follows are historical photos from before and after the rock slide occurred. The pictures cannot do this tragedy justice as the sheer magnitude of the debris needs to be seen in person to be truly understood. Today Highway 3 winds it’s way through the slide-path, with massive boulders scattered on both sides of the road. To get the full story of this tragic event stop by the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre that is located nearby.
Enjoy the following photographs as we remember Canada’s deadliest rock slide.
Turtle Mountain, before Frank slide, pre-1903Main Street, Frank, Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, pre-1903North-West Mounted Police camp at Frank, Alberta, May 1903Frank, Alberta after the slide, 1903View of row of miner’s houses morning after slide, Frank, Alberta, April 29, 1903View of Frank, Alberta after the slide, April 30, 1903Frank Slide, Alberta, April 29, 1903Frank Slide, Alberta, on the day after, 1903View of Frank Slide, Alberta, April 29, 1903Frank slide, Alberta, 1903Frank slide, Alberta, 1903Rebuilding railway to mine at Frank after slide, Summer, 1903Group of men on rocks at Frank slide, Frank, Alberta, April, 1903Frank slide, showing where miners were trapped, Frank, Alberta, April, 1903Remains of Frank, Alberta, October, 1903Frank slide from north, Frank, Alberta, 1903Group on large rock at Frank slide, Alberta, 1903Dominion Avenue and Frank Slide, Frank, Alberta, 1903-1905Crowd of miners and families on highway through Frank Slide, Frank, Alberta, 1930Road construction at Frank Slide, Alberta, 1934
The photos above were collected from the Glenbow Archives. Additional information can be found for each photograph on the Glenbow website by searching the identification number that is printed on each photo. There is also the option to purchase a high resolution copy. Stay tuned for additional posts featuring historical photos from across Alberta. We’d love to know what you think in the comment section below.
Tyler is originally from Saskatchewan, and yes he cheers for the Roughriders, but don’t hold that against him as Calgary has been his home for the past eight years. He is a teacher working at a wilderness-
based treatment program for youth working to overcome addiction. Tyler is also a volunteer with the GOT Parks initiative, which aims at reconnecting Canada’s youth with our national, provincial, and territorial parks. During his time away from work, Tyler enjoys outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, and snowboarding, team sports, travelling, photography, spending time with good friends, and being at home with his wife and German Shepherd, Rome.
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