55 years later: B.C. government releases new photos of Hope Slide to the public

Search and rescue workers on site of the Hope Slide, January 1965. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Vancouver — Marking the 55th anniversary of the Hope Slide – an incident that killed four people on Highway 3 – the provincial government has shared images of the aftermath that haven't been released to the public before.

On Jan. 9, 1965, an avalanche blocked part of the Hope-Princeton Highway just outside of Hope. Drivers began to line up along the highway on the Princeton side of the avalanche, waiting for crews to clear the road.

At about 7 a.m., half of Johnson Peak collapsed in that same area, sending a huge rockslide into the valley below. A car, an oil tanker truck and a loaded hay truck were all buried.

According to the ministry, the debris was up to 500 feet deep in some places and 47 million cubic metres of rocks and mud filled the bottom of the valley. At the time, this was the largest known landslide in Canadian history.

Crews and search dogs eventually found the bodies of Thomas Starchuk and Bernie Lloyd Beck. The bodies of the two other victims – Dennis Geroge Arlitt and Mary Kalmakoff – were never recovered.

It took crews 13 days to reconnect the highway and create a driveable route over the slide, the transportation ministry says.

"We recently discovered a series of images documenting the incident itself, as well as search and rescue and reconstruction efforts following the slide," the transportation ministry says on its website.

"As far as we know, only one or two of these images have ever been shown to the public before now."

Aerial shot of the slide and debris field, looking east towards Princeton. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Search and rescue workers shovelling through the debris field. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Remains of the oil tanker which was caught up in the slide. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Former Minister of Highways, Phil Gaglardi, assists with search and rescue efforts. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Helicopter support arrives on site of the Hope Slide, January 1965. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

A BC RCMP officer using metal detector to assist with search. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Breaking up rocks to clear a path through the debris. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Heavy equipment help to remove debris and establish the roadway. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

Highway staff use snow on the hood of a truck to draw up plans during recovery. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

A viewpoint was established during reconstruction. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Flickr)

The entire album of newly released photos can be viewed on the transportation ministry's website.