Blairmore, Alberta

The Burmis Tree -- for over seven hundred years it guarded the entrance to Crow's Nest Pass. Unfortunately it died in the 1970s. Then, in 1998, it fell down. Notice the steel prop holding it up. There are also support posts in the trunk and through what was the root system. The people up hear had little enough to look at that they couldn't bear to lose their symbol.

This is (was) coal mining country. We spent quite a while exploring the Leitch Colliery -- now an Alberta Historical Site. It was known as the "Bad Luck Mine" because it only lasted for six years. The powerhouse walls are still standing and very impressive. One of the reasons for the quick mine failure was over-planning. They built for a future that never happened. Out of the 101 Mitchell Coke Ovens, only 32 were ever fired up. The mine went bankrupt and was sold just before World War 1. It was bought out by the "Mohawk Colliery" (???) in nearby Bellevue.

We also passed through one of the largest rock slides in history. The Frank Slide buried half of the town of Frank in 1903. Over 70 people were killed and are still interred under the rocks. When we checked into our hotel we were informed that more of the mountain is due to fall and is monitored every day. we'll sleep litely tonight....