Bellevue & The Frank Slide ~55 years apart

We’re in Bellevue Alberta, southern part of the province and right in the front ranges of the Rockies. Here’s the business district and in the background the incredible scar on Turtle Mountain. Welcome to the Crowsnest Pass region (our home away from home) and it’s most noteworthy feature, the Frank Slide.

It’s a chilling and sobering view no matter the angle, yet to people living here it’s an everyday scene.

Roughly fifty five years separate the two images and then photo come thanks to a reader (appreciate it Tyler). It’s a scan from an old postcard and there’s clues contained that will tell us it’s from sometime in the late 1960s or thereabouts. More on this in a moment.

A good number of then images used in this series come from readers and we invite you to do the same. Old family collections are a gold mine and vintage postcards work well too. In any case, they must be your copyright or in the public domain. Simply pulling from online sources is not recommended unless you know the status. Don’t worry, we can help.

Images showing a wide street scene (like here), landscapes or other broad views tend to give the best results. Close in photos, in comparison, are rarely of use but reach out if you’re unsure. We love the challenge and always looking for more Then & Now fodder, so don’t be scared.

Then! It’s downtown Bellevue, population today nine hundred and one of many former coal mining communities in what is now the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass. The towns here were and are closely spaced so it makes sense they consolidated.

Each (Bellevue, Hillcrest, Frank, Blairmore and Coleman) functioned a company town (of sorts), in support of a specific mine or mines and on this side of this community it was the Bellevue Mine.

Some remains are still there and located not far from shooting position off to the left, and down the hill. It’s an historic site now that you can tour and no doubt you’ve seen the undergroud entry when driving #3 highway through here.

In the photos we’re looking south-ish into the business district. Bellevue sits on a bench overlooking the valley and this position affords a clear look at the carnage in the background. In 1903 Turtle Mountain let go and the resultant rockslide came that close to wiping out the community of Frank (another mining company town).

Still, many people perished on the periphery of that community and the Frank Slide forever changed the valley. We’ve been coming here for decades and it’s still eerie to see. We’ve hiked up to the top of Turtle Mountain and it’s even more horrifying given a broader view. Here: Turtle Mountain (long time ago).

A row of businesses line the street and most of the buildings still exists today in one form or another. The majority are too far in the distance to make out, however, but we’ll show you a few up close anyway. Many display informative plaques that gives a summary of what businesses operated here over time and these were placed by a local historical group. Bravo guys!

The structure on the left was a Red & White store and displays an old mural that we can’t really make out. The letters “alt” can be seen…an advert for a brand of salt? Or? It’s not clear if the business was open at the time but it does look a little run down. Is that an International pickup out front?

Many other vehicles can be seen and there’s a good sampling of card and trucks from the ’50s-’60s period.

A man is seen crossing the street and looks to be glancing back at the photographer. To his left but unseen, is the road leading down to the old mine. It had been closed for less than a decade when this photo was captured but since the 1990s has opened up each summer for tours.

Two flags are seen and offer up a clue to help us accurately date the photo. They’re the Maple Leaf and it was only adopted in the mid-’60s. You’ll note they’re pointing left and that’s to the east. Strong winds and the Pass are synonymous and they always blow in the same direction it seems. It’s a constant and when in full gale they can knock you over.

Now! It’s a pretty timeless view and the change overall minimal. The orange building on the right does appears in the old photo but it’s been altered quite a bit. This was part of the old Bellevue Motors Garage which had closed a few years before the Then photo capture.

It’s not clear if the building furthest left is the old Red and White Store, but altered somewhat. The location sort of fits (even if it appears more set back – the road has changed however), and the roofline is a close match. We didn’t note a information plaque there, so it remains unclear.

There’s more trees today and the unsightly power lines are gone but otherwise, the scene is not all that different.

Odds & Ends.

The postcard displays the following on its reverse side…

Stelling Color Card, Color Photo by M. Stelling. Bellevue Alberta. Turtle Mountain in background, where a gigantic slide destroyed the town of Frank in 1903, killing 70 people. Stelling Agencies Ltd, Box 465, Sta A, Vancouver, 1, BC. Printed in the USA.

Truth is the Frank Slide mostly missed the town and current estimates put the death toll at seventy to ninety. Some of the bodies are still there under all that rock. By the way, the postal code (the 1), helps further date the card. Early in the 1970s the country went with the six digit alpha-numeric system used today but before used a city+single digit form (in major centres only).

Any Stelling Postcards we’ve found seem to be from the late 1960s period and the company’s output modest. Most show scenes in British Columbia (many of motels – a popular commissioned subject at the time) and this is only one of a few found that show Alberta. BC, incidentally, is only a couple dozen clicks away from Bellevue, if that means anything.

Postcards were a thing once and produced in huge quantities, but fell from use in modern times. A lot of people collect them now. The postcard used in this article was unused (and the person who sent it themselves a collector) but ones with written message are often really interesting to read. They’re like a window into another time. Hi, it’s so and so from somewhere and we just wanted to say hi and what a good time we’re having on vacation!. Translation: your life sucks and we’re rubbing it in.

So ends another Then & Now but you’ll be happy know there’s plenty more on the way. We’re always out shooting and as we speak, have about twenty or thirty waiting to be posted with more coming all the time. We’ll be wearing out the keyboard for sure, so stay tuned and add to the fun by contributing a picture. BTW, the ice cream place was closed and that’s heartbreaking to us frozen treat monsters.

Know more about the area (new windows): Bellevue Crowsnest Pass Alberta and Frank Slide Alberta.

They’re saying…

”Chris and Connie are the real deal – their adventures are truly interesting and fun!” Justine Cooke.

The Pass is awesome!
Emerald Lake & Crowsnest Mountain.
Historic Hotels Crowsnest Pass.
Crowsnest Collection – Round 1.

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Date of Adventure: Late 1960s and September 2022.
Location(s): Bellevue, AB.
Article references and thanks: Crowsnest Pass Heritage Inventory Project, Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society and Tyler.

Bellevue and the Frank Slide ~55 years apart.

The former Miner’s Union Hall (front) & Bellevue Restaurant.

The old Bellevue Inn was being worked on.

The Frank Slide on Turtle Mountain is our backdrop.

These historic plaques are everywhere.

Most buildings seen are present in both photos (cont.)…

…But they’re too far in the distance to see clearly.

A heartbreaking scene – they’re closed!