# The Frank Rockslide

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-daily-4410220/the-frank-rockslide
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-daily-4410220/the-frank-rockslide.md
Podcast: [History Daily](https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-daily-4410220)
Published: 2026-04-29T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8894110
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8894110.mp3?modified=1776875557&sid=5162833&source=rss
Processing state: processed
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-daily-4410220/episodes/the-frank-rockslide
Duration seconds: 951

## Resource

In 1903, a massive 120-million-ton rockslide obliterated the mining town of Frank, Alberta. This episode follows the harrowing survival stories of trapped miners and a railway worker who prevented a train disaster.

## Highlights
- Main idea: The catastrophic collapse of Turtle Mountain released 120 million tons of debris onto the town of Frank
- Survival story: Miners trapped in darkness faced rising water and depleting oxygen while digging toward the surface
- Heroic action: A railway brakeman risked his life to manually flag down a passenger train to prevent a collision with the rubble
- Failure mode: Indigenous warnings about the 'mountain that moves' were ignored by settlers before the disaster
- Practical takeaway: The geological instability of the region remained a threat long after the initial slide ended

## Topics

Frank Rockslide, Canadian History, Mining Disasters, Natural Disasters, Alberta, Turtle Mountain, Survival Stories, Geology

## Chapters
- 1:00 — Trapped Underground: Miners face a desperate race against rising water and suffocating air after a mine entrance is buried.
- 8:20 — The Mountain That Moves: The devastating reality of the peak's collapse and the destruction of the town below becomes clear.
- 6:50 — Preventing a Train Disaster: A railway worker attempts to warn an oncoming locomotive of the destroyed tracks ahead.
- 13:20 — Searching the Wreckage: Survivors navigate the splintered remains of their homes in a search for loved ones.
- 16:20 — The Miners' Triumph: Against all odds, the trapped miners successfully dig a path through the rubble to freedom.
- 19:40 — The Aftermath: The long-term impact of the landslide and the lingering fear of the unstable mountain.

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## Transcript

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