Comments on: Then in 1908, it burned down a third time

Then in 1908, it burned down a third time

Chrysostom — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:09:25 -0800

Tragedies and disasters of the Crowsnest Pass (part 1, part 2).

By: stp123

stp123 — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:20:22 -0800

I love BC folklore. When you drive the Crowsnest most of the sketchy little gas stations along the way will have a dusty old wire rack of local books and maps. Some of my best camp reading has come from those.

By: The otter lady

The otter lady — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:37:33 -0800

.. fell over, and THEN sank into the swamp...

By: asnider

asnider — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:38:38 -0800

Man, I know some folks from the Crowsnest Pass (well, they lived there for a while, they're not *for* there, per se). They probably know a lot about this, but I'll be passing it on.

By: sauril

sauril — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:50:11 -0800

Having driven through there many times (yes, from Calgary to Fernie, of course), it was nice to stop every once in a while and check out the attractions. The Frank Slide interpretive center is well worth visiting, as is a pub or two. Thanks for this link. And here's the obligatory link to the song Frank, AB

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:55:03 -0800

Drove through the pass last week. Tough to think of all the bodies still laying there under the rubble.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:28:48 -0800

Some friends and I put in a long stretch of barbed wire fence in the Crowsnest Pass for CP Rail. The terrain was so steep and rugged we couldn't use the pneumatic post pounder so we had to pound each post by hand, but damn that was an amazing few weeks, to be working in such a glorious place.

By: bove

bove — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:45:07 -0800

I went to the the Frank Slide interpretative center as a kid for a school field trip. It was an amazing thing to see. Thanks for the cool post.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:28:51 -0800

I've hiked and backpacked throughout the Crowsnest. Fascinating terrain. The top of Turtle mountain (the Frank slide) is a moonscape. Great boulder-toppling fun. Crowsnest Mtn is a slog, but has an interesting cliff crux. Nearby Mt. Tut has astounding views and had a great bit of boot-skiing. And up in The Promised Land are great cave systems and, again, tortured, surreal landscape. North of Hillside (?) are abandoned townsites, old mining shacks and equipment, and mine adits that are alomst infinitely deep, judging by the noise of rockfall. It is an amazing area, full of history, danger, and awe.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:33:40 -0800

Note: Turtle Mtn was named "The Mountain That Moves" by local Indians. Building a town at its base was ridiculously foolish, and mining it was greedy and dumb. The mineshaft tour in Frank (or is it the town east of Frank?) is great. It really hammers home the brutality of miners' lives. For instance, the mine owner refused for years to provide showers. When he finally did, they were at the top of a long climb and were pay-for. He was a Compleat Bastard in every regard.

By: bluebelle

bluebelle — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:59:05 -0800

I have relatives that were killed in Frank Slide. It's an eerie place.

By: BlueHorse

BlueHorse — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 17:44:19 -0800

It's a beautiful area, and what an awful history. Despite these obvious safety violations, the government inspector had signed off on the mine just two days prior to the disaster. Toronto, May 26 - The officials of the Crows Nest Pass Coal Company state that so far the cause of the explosion is not known, but that the day preceding the accident the mines were inspected by the government mine inspector, A. Dick, who issued his written certificate that the mines were in excellent condition. There's been a lot of dick mine inspectors who have signed off and are responsible for the deaths of miners. A lot of brave hard-working men have ~~worked~~ slaved in horrid conditions, (and still are doing so) and have died awful deaths, so that rich men can become richer.