Surveying the damage at the Frank Slide: On April 29, 1903, the town of Frank, Alberta, disappeared. That morning, 82 million tons of mountainside came hurtling downward from its perch high above on Turtle Mountain, crushing everything in its path. The debris field, a historic site, remains a sight to behold: Boulders the size of suburban houses are strewn 150m (500 ft.) deep, 425m (1,400 ft.) high, and 1km (3,280 ft.) wide. These days, Highway 3 into British Columbia runs overtop the rubble field, and trees poke out from between the rocks. And the excellent Frank Slide Interpretive Centre (tel. 403/562-7388) offers you a chance to learn more about this massive cataclysm that happened in the blink of an eye.
The origins of the cowboy trade at Bar U Ranch: Bar U Ranch (tel. 888/773-8888), a national historic site, rests in the gently rolling Porcupine Hills along the Cowboy Trail, just east of the Rockies. Some say this is where corporate ranching was born: The Bar U ran a big operation, employing thousands of cowboys and running hundreds of thousands of cattle while in operation from 1882 to 1950. Bar U outlasted virtually everyone, but it couldn't outlast time: As ranches modernized and herds grew, Bar U owner Patrick Burns sold off parts of the vast ranch in 1950, bringing its dominance to a close. But the original Bar U site, with its horse barns, bunkhouses, mess hall, and office, remains intact. Thirty-five buildings all told -- a slice of Alberta history, perfectly preserved.
Searching for David Thompson in Rocky Mountain House: David Thompson, the celebrated cartographer, explorer, and fur trader, is credited with mapping as much as 20% of North America. Rocky Mountain House was his base for charting a pass through the Rocky Mountains. But that's not the only history here, in this small, high plains town. The rival Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company operated out of Rocky for 76 years, making it a center point of commerce and trade.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: A high bluff facing east over the endless plains made this site the perfect bison killing field. Long before European contact, Native Canadians would stampede vast herds of bison over these bluffs, using the impact, and the crushing weight of the herd, to kill enough meat to last the winter. These days, a brilliant interpretive center (tel. 403/553-2731) steps up the bluff in harmony with its surroundings; inside, an array of excellent exhibits explains the significance of this site to Native culture and history.
Surveying the past at Lougheed House: When Calgary was young, much of the city was built of sandstone from nearby quarries. But the material was high maintenance, and only a few buildings survive. One of the best is Lougheed House (tel. 403/244-6333), a family mansion built for the prominent Lougheed family (Peter Lougheed was premier of the province from 1971 to 1985). Built in 1907, Lougheed House represents a perfectly preserved piece of the city's architectural history.
Glaciers in motion: Locally known as the "Big Rock," the Okotoks Erratic is the world's largest-known glacial erratic -- rock dragged far from its place of origin by the shifting of the glaciers 10,000 years ago. It weighs in at a massive 16,500 tons, 9m (30 ft.) high, 41m (135 ft.) long, and 18m (60 ft.) wide. Looming out of the prairie not far from the town of Okotoks, the Big Rock provides a glimpse of the massive forces that shaped the planet long ago. It's a favorite of novice rock climbers too, with nothing but bald prairie below the rock faces.
The first oil well in Western Canada: Everyone knows that Alberta equals oil, but few would know that the first commercially productive oil well here was found in what is now Waterton Lakes National Park. A pristine wilderness area, Waterton bears none of the scars of oil exploration -- owing, perhaps, to its discovery in 1902, before demand began to skyrocket in the automotive age. The well seemed to run dry a few years later, and was shut down in 1907, but it's believed there's a good amount of oil deeper than old drills could reach; with more modern technology, Waterton could be a very different place today than it is.
The Leduc Gusher: This was the big one: oil spraying high in the sky, signaling the beginning of Alberta's oil era. It was discovered February 13, 1947, and the rush was on, as local and foreign companies raced to capitalize. The field produced 200 million barrels of oil, but more importantly it signaled the beginning of an era for the province that still dominates today. Leduc is about a half-hour south of Edmonton.
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