Serendipity @ The Rock (Frank Slide)

The word of the day is defined as “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident” (dictionary.com). We’re talking about a special but unexpected aligning of the stars leading to good fortune. Incidentally, these extraordinary moments seem to happen to us with a frequency greater than it should. “Serendipity” at the Rock: a giant boulder in the Frank Slide debris field, two photos about a century apart and a little magic in Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass.

The timing was impeccable and we think you’ll agree.

Over the years there’s been several highway alignments through the slide and the action here takes place along the oldest section. This catastrophic event happened in 1903 and blocked the entire valley, while burying the railway, river and any wagon roads. It narrowly missed the town of Frank (taking out its extreme eastern edge), made a big mess of things and took many lives.

The road we see here was punched through in the slide in the 1920s. Turtle Mountain looms overhead and look up and see the big scar where all this material came from.

As the years passed, certain sections of this route were bypassed by something a bit more direct and less winding. You can still drive this “newer” section and it’s seen in back in some of our photos. It’s now the backroad through the slide and offers a sobering view.

The main highway today runs about half a click to the north, by the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, but still within in the rock field. The amount of material let loose was huge and the slide extends for almost two kilometres from the base of the mountain. It had such momentum that climbed part way up the other side of the valley!

Let’s look at the old photo and chat a bit…

It’s said to date from the latter half of the 1920s and the car seen is about right for the era. It’s in shadow (and we’re not that good at IDing them anyway), so we’re not sure the the make. It does sort of appear to be a late Ford Model T Runabout of the time, however, but it’s only a guess. Any experts care to chime in and confirm what it is? This was the most common car in the 1920s and we stand a reasonable chance of being right.

Presumably it belongs to the fellow standing on the boulder and as was typical for the era he seems overdressed. Of course he wears a hat but headwear was a big thing in the old days. This may have been a planed shoot or maybe the photographer just stumbled upon the scene by chance, but what ever the case it’s an iconic capture.

A rock on the right reads “Vote for Christophe(r)” but the lettering below is too small to make sense of. “He is…week…xx…” Huh? In reference to some kind of vote or election? Nothing comes up in any searches but there’s not much info to work with either.

We believe we found that same face but the lettering is long gone. The boulder appears to have been moved, likely during roadwork at some point and sits further to the side, off camera, in our photo.

Fast forward to 2021 and we’ll see what’s changed…

Armed with an old photo – our template for lining up things – we search out the target rock. We go in blind and weren’t sure if it’d even still be there, but knew if we wandered about on the oldest section of road, we’d stand a chance. So we walked, enjoyed the view and soon enough, there it was. It was instantly recognizable and imagine our thrill on seeing what was playing out before us.

We arrived just as a group was practising a little bouldering (a form of free climbing) and how nice of that one person to pose for us. In the exact same spot as the 1920s fellow! What luck and further proof we’ve been blessed by the T&N Gods.

You’ll see that the road is a bit different from the old days – hardly a surprise – but otherwise the scene is not all that different from what it was. While exploring, we noticed the remains of a few line poles like the one seen in the old photo. Notice how nothing has grown after all these years and these rocks are so barren that they don’t support much plant life.

Our template show various reference points used to match up the photo and now you know how we do it. This technique seems to work well enough, even if it’s hardly high-tech.

The haze seen in our photos comes from forest fires in BC and the States. Brought here by prevailing winds the smoke was sometimes heavy in the air and made for spectacular sunsets.

The old postcard comes anonymously from a reader (thanks who ever you are) and appears in the public domain. Most old postcards are and we know we’ve seen this one before, long ago…somewhere. It’s marked “Haigh Photo” but whoever this person or firm was is not known and nothing comes up in any searches.

If you have or know of an old photo (public domain or your copyright – ask if unsure) you think would be a good starting point for a compelling Then & Now, be sure and reach out. Broad scenes tend to work best, either landscapes or something urban. The best effect is when there’s been minimal change – that is everything seems the same – or if there’s been major change, with but one or two things left to connect then to now.

Know more: (new tab): Frank Slide (note: there’s some exaggerated history out there).

We’ve only just begun and there’s lots more interesting content to come.

They’re saying…

”Chris and Connie delve into the nooks & crannies of the Canadian Prairies (ed: we love the mountains too). They detail interesting histories accompanied with revealing photos. A lot of information and work and the results are fantastic.” Naomi Kikoak.

Some favourite Then & Nows…
Main Street Slocan BC.
Then & Now: Foremost Alberta.
East Coulee Alberta then and now.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of Adventure: 1920s & Summer 2021.
Location: Crowsnest Pass, AB.
Article references: Alberta Ministry of Transportation and Frank Slide Interpretive Centre.

A little serendipity at “the Rock” in Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass.

The reverse view.

We’re in the Frank Slide off Turtle Mountain (in back).

An old line pole base.

This crumpled paper was our template.

The “Vote for Christopher” rock?

On the backroad through the slide – haze is from forest fires.