Key Number:	HS 19338
Site Name:	Frank Slide or Great Rock Slide
Other Names:
Site Type:	1911 - Geological Feature

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			7	3	5

Address:
Number:
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Avenue:
Other:
Town:	Crowsnest Pass
Near Town:	Victoria

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

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Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:
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Exterior:	N/A
Interior:	N/A
Environment:	500 yards east of the present town of Frank. The slide effectively covered the main traffic thoroughfare in the Pass. Consequently, two roadways and a rail line have been cut through the Slide. It is bordered closely on the west by the town of Frank, and is near the communities of Bellevue and Hillcrest on the east.
Condition:	Geological reports since 1904 have emphasized the instability of Turtle Mountain although there is disagreement as to what part of the mountain is most unstable. The crevice riddled area between the north and south peaks is indisputably unsafe. There is a high probability of individual boulders of significant weight falling from the scarp of the slide which could trigger a debris slide.
Alterations:	N/A

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Slide occurred	1903/04/29
Usage:	Usage Date:
Slide
Owner:	Owner Date:
N/A N/A Emile Nouguier La Corporation Episcopale Catholique Romaine De Saint Albert Franco Canadian Collieries Limited The Winnipeg Supply & Fuel Company Limited Louis John Cortinovis The Director, the Veternas' Land Act. Province of Alberta John Hucik Scurry-Rainbow Oil Limited Province of Alberta Consolidation Coal Company Richard F. Brazzoni Anthony Patera & Josephine Patera F.G. Swann Investments Ltd. Georgina Lillian Monuik Beau Jack Wallace & Clara Jane Wallace	1909/12/18 1910/08/15 1928/07/09 1961/07/26 1962/04/24 1962/09/04 1963/03/01 1964/04/24 1966/06/27 1968/04/30 1975/07/10 1977/11/25 1978/03/15 1981/01/28 1981/08/10 1982/07/26

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	About 658 acres are covered by shattered limestone boulders, etc. The debris extends to a depth of approximately 100 ft. Frank, one the earliest communities in the Crowsnest Pass was partially buried under a huge rock avalanche that descended on the site on the morning of April 29, 1903. Sixty-six people died in the disaster and the site of the town was abandoned. In 1954 another 50 thousand tons of rock crashed down Tutle Mtn. depositing more material harmlessly on the site of the earlier slide. Historical Importance: Canada's worst landslide. Two markers acknowledge the tragedy. Cellars of the western portion of the old town are still visible. * * * Heritage Significance: On April 29, 1903 at 4:10 a.m. the town of Frank in the Crowsnest was partially destroyed when a wedge of limestone, measuring 2100 ft. high, 3000 feet wide and 500 feet thick, broke away from Turtle Mountain. Ninety million tons of rock moved down from the east face of the mountain, across the entrance of the Frank mine of the Canadian-American Coal Company, the Crowsnest River, the southern end of the town of Frank, the main road from the east, and the Canadian Pacific mainline through the pass. The rock mass continued up the opposite side of the valley before coming to rest 500 feet above the valley floor. In 100 seconds the slide destroyed part of a town, took about 70 lives and buried an entire mine plant and railway. The Frank Slide is one of the largest catastrophic slides to occur in Canada in historic times; it ranks in the top Twenty on a world scale. Historical Importance: Concern over the instability of Tuttle Mt. prompted the provincial government to force closure of the coal mining operations on the mountain. This action is one of the earliest examples of environmentally determined planning in Alberta. The Frank Slide was one of the most dramatic catastrophic events in the history of the province; it resulted in the loss of about 70 lives and the destruction of part of the town of Frank. Degree of Originality: Using sheer volume of fallen rock as the primary criterion, the Frank Slide ranks in the top twenty of catastrophic historic rock slides in the world The Frank Slide is the second largest rock slide in historic times in Canada (the Hope Slide in B.C. is the largest). * * * Backgrounder: Frank Slide - At 4:10 a.m., April 29, 1903, a wedge-shaped slice of Turtle Mountain's east slope became dislodged and hurtled down toward the sleeping community of Frank. - Within less than two minutes after the 90 million ton limestone slab had began its descent, the eastern section of the town of Frank was devastated. - 68 people died, but miraculously 27 others emerged alive from the rock and rubble. The Innis family survived, but were forced to take shelter in makeshift structure, a tent attached to a wooden frame and covered with tar paper; their house had been completely destroyed. A member of the Bansemer family recalled, 'Our house was pushed 20 feet off its foundation but none of us was injured.' - An amazing story of survival is that of the Leitch family's youngest child, a baby girl. She was discovered lying on the ground beside the neighbor's home, having been apparently 'thrown' free of the wreckage that had been her home. Her mother, father and four brothers were not so fortunate - all died beneath the cascading rock. - A local hero: Realizing that the CPR tracks had been covered by the slide, Sid Choquette scrambled over the still shifting boulders to flag down the 'Spokane Flyer', a morning express train. Choquette's presence of mind and bravery avoided a chain reaction of disasters. - as if the original catastrophe had not been enough, the Crow's Nest River, bisected by the slide, threatened to flood the remainder of the town, and an inspection of Turtle Mountain revealed ominous cracks at the summit which could have indicated further disintegration of the slope. Within two days after the slide, due to fears of yet another avalanche, the remainder of the town was evacuated and eventually the community was re-located further east of Turtle Mountain. * * * Alberta News Release April 16, 1985 Minister of Culture Mary J. LeMessurier has announced that April 28 will be the date for the official opening of the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, the latest addition to Alberta Culture's Historic Sites. In making the announcement, Mrs. LeMessurier said, 'The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, with its spectacular geographical surroundings, is an exciting presentation of the history of the Crowsnest Pass and the Slide, and honors the courageous determination of the people who endured disaster and hardship during the development of the mining industry in southwestern Alberta.' The opening's program will begin at 1:30 p.m. with Deputy Minister of Culture John S. O'Neill acting as the master of ceremonies. The official delegation will be headed by the Minister of Culture Mary J. LeMessurier and the Minister of Environment and MLA for Pincher Creek-Crowsnest, Fred Bradley. The afternoon's events will feature the singing of Connie Kaldor and a children's choir from the Crowsnest area, guided tours, and the showing of the award winning audio-visual program, 'In the Mountain's Shadow.' Light refreshments will be served. The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, with its impressive view of Turtle Mountain and the Slide area, tells the history of mining in the Crowsnest Pass and provides a detailed look at the causes, effects and events surrounding the Frank Slide catastrophe. * * * Draft Frank Slide Area Designated a Provincial Historic Site Another of Alberta's unique links with history is being preserved. The Honourable Horst A. Schmid, Minister of Culture, announced that the province is designated the Frank Slide a Provincial Historic Site. The famous mountain of rock and earth that fell on the morning of April 29, 1903, wiping out the southern end of the town of Frank and killing 70 persons, was already a restricted development area through Alberta Environment. But still truck loads of loose material were being hauled away for various uses in construction. Mr. Schmid said, 'The Province has made this designation so we can keep an eye on any necessary removal of loose rock, and prohibit random removal where it would spoil the character of the site. The Frank Slide is one of the largest slides to occur in Canada. It would be a shame to have it reduced to a mere gravel pit.' The first stage of designation covers property owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Department of Highways and other crown lands. The second stage will expand the protected site further, taking in private and corporative property, as well as land owned by the Town of Frank. Property awaiting the second designation stage remains protected as Environment's restricted development area. * * * Official Opening Frank Slide Interpretive Centre Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Sunday, April 28, 1985.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	1977/09/21

Register:

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: