There’s a historic ghost town hidden off this Alberta highway

Crowsnest Pass in Southern Alberta is home to plenty of hidden gems, from the underground mines of Bellevue to Canada’s most photographed tree. But did you know this road trip will also take you to one of Alberta’s most infamous ghost towns? The thing is, you might not even know it’s there.

Frank was once an industrious mining town in Alberta. Founded in 1900, it was home to roughly 600 residents before tragedy struck.

In the early morning hours of April 29, 1903, a devastating rockslide from Turtle Mountain unleashed a barrage of rocks and sediment onto the town.

The result was the most deadly rockslide in Canadian history, with between 70 and 90 people killed.

The slide was so severe that the depth of the rocks reached up to 45 metres in places. Sadly, most of the victims were never recovered, although 23 lucky survivors managed to make it out.

In the time since, the municipality of Frank moved, grew, and shrank again. Today, Frank is a small community of about 200 people, and all that remains of the old townsite is the rocky formation known as Frank Slide.

What to see

While the ghost town of Frank may not have any old buildings to wander, there are still plenty of reasons to visit.

The Frank Slide was designated a Provincial Historical Resource in 1977. In 1985, the provincial government opened the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre.

Take a self-guided historical walking tour of the site, or tack it on to your Alberta road trip by following the Heritage Driving Route.

You can also explore the interpretive centre to see old photos and hear from on-site experts about the town and the events that spelled its end.

It’s a piece of local history — and you’d never know it’s buried under all those rocks.

Frank Slide, Alta.

Where: Directions here

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