Qualla: The Frank Slide

The Frank Slide: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Paul Jerry, CC BY 2.0. At 4:10 AM on April 29, 1903, Turtle Mountain fell on the town of Frank, Alberta. In approximately 100 seconds, 110 million tonnes of limestone crashed 900 meters down the mountainside and swept across the valley, burying the eastern edge of town, the coal mine entrance, and part of the Canadian Pacific Railway under 30 meters of rock. At least 70 people died - the exact number is unknown because some miners and transients were never accounted for. The Frank Slide remains Canada's deadliest rockslide. Today, the debris field stretches across 3 square kilometers, the grey limestone rubble looking fresh despite over a century of weathering. The mountain still looms above, its scar visible for miles.

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Image: Paul Jerry | CC BY 2.0

The Frank Slide: The Mountain

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Turtle Mountain was unstable from the beginning. The limestone peak sits on softer shale, creating a geological imbalance. The mountain's east face was already fractured and leaning. The Canadian-American Coal and Coke Company began mining coal from the mountain's base in 1901, r...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

The Frank Slide: The Slide

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit XeresNelro, CC BY-SA 4.0. The collapse lasted approximately 100 seconds. A massive wedge of limestone, roughly 2,100 feet high, 3,000 feet wide, and 500 feet thick, broke from Turtle Mountain and fell 900 meters into the valley. The rock mass reached speeds estimated at 112 km/h, generating air blasts tha...

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Image: XeresNelro | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Frank Slide: The Survivors

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo gallery, CC BY 2.5. Amid the catastrophe, remarkable survival stories emerged. Seventeen miners were working underground when the slide buried the mine entrance. They dug through 10 meters of coal and rock over 13 hours to escape through a coal seam. An infant named Gladys Ennis was reportedly throw...

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Image: Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo gallery | CC BY 2.5

The Frank Slide: The Aftermath

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jineczka, CC BY-SA 4.0. The town of Frank survived, relocating away from the mountain's base. The coal mine reopened briefly but closed within a decade. The Canadian government commissioned studies that identified the slide's causes and predicted the mountain remained unstable - it still is. Modern moni...

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Image: Jineczka | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Frank Slide: Visiting the Frank Slide

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Amateria1121, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre is located on Highway 3 in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, 2 kilometers east of the site of old Frank. The centre offers exhibits, films, and guided walks through the debris field. Admission is charged. The debris field is visible from Highway 3 a...

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Image: Amateria1121 | CC BY-SA 3.0