A BC Highways Perspective of the Hope Slide

Aerial view of the Hope Slide looking westward, January 1965
Aerial view of the Hope Slide looking westward, January 1965

It was the largest known landslide in Canadian history.

The Hope Slide forever changed the landscape of the Nicolum Valley in the Cascade Mountain Range, tragically taking the lives of four motorists who were on BC Highway 3 at the time.

We recently discovered a series of images documenting the incident itself, as well as search and rescue and reconstruction efforts following the slide. As far as we know, only one or two of these images have ever been shown to the public before now.

View the complete set of images on Flickr

Helicopter pilots flew supplies and materials in and out of the debris field in the days immediately following the slide.
Helicopter pilots flew supplies and materials in and out of the debris field in the days immediately following the slide.

A Timeline of the Slide Event

In the early morning hours of Saturday, January 9th, 1965, a snow avalanche blocked the Hope-Princeton Highway, in the Nicolum Valley, just outside of Hope. A queue of motorists on the Princeton side of the avalanche began to collect. Some of them chose to turn around and head back up the mountain, while others chose to wait for crews to clear the slide.

At approximately 7 am, a devastating rock slide occurred at the same location, when half of Johnson Peak collapsed and descended into the valley below. The slide filled the valley bottom with more than 47 million cubic metres of rock, mud, and debris – up to 500 ft deep in some locations. Outram Lake, which had been at the foot of the slide area, was completely displaced. The slide buried a car that had become stuck in the first slide, an oil tanker truck, and a loaded hay truck which had stopped behind the tanker.

The slide destroyed nearly three kilometres of Highway 3, the Hope-Princeton Highway, a vital connection between the Southern Interior and the South Coast regions of BC.
The slide destroyed nearly three kilometres of Highway 3,  a vital connection between the Southern Interior and the South Coast regions of BC. This image is taken from the Princeton side of the slide, looking west toward Hope.
Search and rescue workers, BC RCMP, volunteers and local Highways Department staff combed the site for days to recover victims of the slide.
Search and rescue workers, BC RCMP, volunteers and local Highways Department staff combed the site for days to recover victims of the slide.
Former British Columbia Highways Minister Phil Gaglardi (above with search and rescue canine), attended the scene to help assist with search and rescue efforts and to help direct the construction of a temporary road over the southern portion of the slide.
Former British Columbia Minister of Highways, Phil Gaglardi (above with search and rescue canine) attended the scene to help assist with search and rescue efforts and to help direct the construction of a temporary road over the southern portion of the slide.
Search and rescue workers at the slide site study a recovered object.
Search and rescue workers at the slide site study a recovered object.

Finally, with the assistance of a search dog, crews were able to recover the bodies of Thomas Starchuck, the driver of the hay truck and Bernie Lloyd Beck, the driver of the convertible. The two other victims of the slide, Dennis George Arlitt and Mary Kalmakoff, were never recovered.

BC RCMP attend the scene of the Hope Slide during recovery.
BC RCMP attend the scene of the Hope Slide during recovery.
A line of cars parked along BC Highway 3 at the western edge of the slide site and the vast scope of the debris field is revealed.
A line of cars parked along BC Highway 3 at the western edge of the slide site and the vast scope of the debris field is revealed.
Staff use snow on the hood of a truck to draw plans during recovery.
Staff use snow on the hood of a truck to draw up plans during recovery.
Ministry staff drilling to clear a new route through the slide site on BC Highway 3.
Ministry staff drilling to clear a new route through the slide site on BC Highway 3.
Long time construction partner, Emil Anderson Construction lends machinery and manpower to help clear a new path through the debris field.
Long time partner, Emil Anderson Construction lends machinery and manpower to help clear a new path through the debris field.
Construction equipment and crews working to carve out a new route and re-open the highway.
Construction equipment and crews working to carve out a new route and re-open the highway.

Department of Highways crews worked tirelessly to re-establish the highway connection and in 13 days a drive-able route had been established over the slide.

Construction equipment and crews working to carve out a new route and re-open the highway.
Construction equipment and crews working to carve out a new route and re-open the highway.
Ministry staff at the slide site in the days after the event occurred.
Ministry staff at the slide site in the days after the event occurred.
A viewpoint entrance sign was erected to allow visitors to see the slide site after the road re-opened.
A viewpoint entrance sign was erected to allow visitors to see the slide site after the road re-opened.

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