On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 a.m., 82 million tonnes (30 million cubic metres) of limestone crashed from the summit of Turtle Mountain and buried a portion of the sleeping town of Frank. The dimensions of the rock mass that fell are 150 metres (500 feet) deep, 425 metres (1,400 feet) high and one kilometre (3,280 feet) wide.
The bustling town of Frank was home to approximately 600 people in 1903. Of these, roughly 100 individuals lived in the path of the slide. An estimated 70 people were killed.
The primary cause of the Frank Slide was the mountain's unstable structure. Underground coal mining, water action in summit cracks and severe weather conditions may have contributed to the disaster.
In the wake of the slide:
-A brakeman for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Sid Choquette, races across the rocks to flag down an approaching passenger train. He stops the train before it collides with the slide.
-The house of Alexander Leitch is hit by the slide. His three young daughters miraculously survive.
-Temporarily trapped, 17 underground coal miners dig their way to freedom 14 hours after the slide.