Terror at Turtle Mountain

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

With the coal in Turtle Mountain proving to be plentiful and easy to
mine, the nearby town of Frank, Alberta, has been growing in population
and prosperity. Concerned about all the mining that’s being done, some
Native people start warning the townspeople about spirits in the
mountain that are disturbed by all the activity, but no one heeds their
warning. On April 29, 1903, a catastrophic rockslide strikes the town.

Nathalie and her mom are not seriously injured in the slide and do what
they can to assist others. Nathalie in particular bravely attempts to
rescue her friends and their family members whose homes were swallowed
by the rocks. Her quick thinking, strength, and bravery give her a
feeling of confidence that she has never felt before. Another positive
outcome of the disaster is that Nathalie’s estranged extended family
is reunited to her great delight.

The story, which is based on historical events surrounding the
rockslide, focuses on the townspeople: the trainsmen who prevented a
passenger train from crashing into the huge boulders covering the
tracks, the miners trapped in the mine, and the people on the creek side
of town whose home were completely destroyed.

Author Penny Draper includes a lot of detail in her descriptions of the
aftermath and of the actions people took to help with the rescues. She
also includes engrossing photographs of the disaster as well as
suggested links for those who want to learn more about this tragic
event. Recommended.