Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

Survivor accounts of the 1903 rock avalanche will hit you with the emotional impact of the Frank Slide. Ask questions, and listen as historical interpreters add depth to the stories in the exhibits. The kids will love Rumbler's Drawing Room, a dynamic activity area. Get a crow's eye view! A huge three dimensional map and multi-layered exhibits highlight the ancient, historic and contemporary Crowsnest Pass. Exhibits include interactive computers, engaging science-based displays, detailed 3D models, a geology theatre, artefacts, and a memorial to the people who were killed in the slide. Two award-winning high definition presentations, "On the Edge of Destruction - the Frank Slide Story" and "In the Mountain's Shadow" play daily in the theatre. Look for specialty gift shop items, picnic, or walk the trails around the Centre and through the slide to enjoy awesome panoramic Rocky Mountain views.

Curriculum-based education programs are available on a pre-booked basis for K-9 and for post-secondary students. Group discounts are offered for 15 or more people. Interpretive programs and special events highlight aspects of the dramatic history of the area. New Distance Learning programs provide an educational experience through video conferencing technology.

At 4:10 a.m. on April 29, 1903, 90 million tons of limestone broke loose from the top of Turtle Mountain and came crashing down on the valley below. A portion of the sleeping coal mining town of Frank was destroyed by the rock avalanche, and as many as 90 people lost their lives in the tragedy. Twenty-three people in homes along the edge of the slide survived, as did 500 people in the untouched part of Frank. In 1985 the Alberta government opened the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre on the crest of a hill overlooking the expanse of rocks of the Frank Slide.