July 25, 2023 – Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
Bear: Kim and Paul are expecting us in Lethbridge on Wednesday.
Me: Great! Maybe we should go a day early and tour around a bit.
Bear: Where would we go?
Me: Not sure, I will think about it.
Bear: Don’t hurt yourself.
Me: Ya, Ya….
Later
Me: Ok, I figured out where we should go.
Bear: This ought to be good. Where?
Me: To the most dangerous place in Alberta.
Bear: Of course! Where is that?
Me: Crowsnest Pass
Bear: What is so dangerous about that?
Me: It just so happens I have a list:
- 1903 Frank Slide – 90 residents died as 110 million tons of limestone wiped out the eastern side of the town of Frank.
- 1908. Forest fire burned Fernie to the ground.
- 1914 Hillcrest Mine disaster – worst coal mining disaster in Canada, 189 died.
- And there have been eight other mining disasters in the area, two that made the “Top Ten” list.
- 1920 train robbery and shootout at the Bellevue Café.
- 1923 shootout in Blairmore where an RCMP officer wounded a bootlegger’s son, so the bootlegger and his girlfriend shot the cop – dead. Emelio Picariello and Filumina Lassandro were both executed by hanging for that incident.
Filumina – Peter Moller artist
Bear: Is that all?
- In 1947 a Dakota aircraft crash killed all 7 on board…
Bear: Okay, I have heard enough.
Me: Wanna go?
Bear: You have to work on your dating skills.
At least they all happened a long time ago.
Me: Well, except for the St Mary’s River wildfire, it is currently burning out of control. Let’s do it anyway.
Bear: Okay, I’ll get packed, …
… Romeo.
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