Welcome to the web site of Clifford H. Frame

Many believe that Clifford Frame’s successful mining career is due to his academic background in engineering. However, Clifford believes to the contrary. He attributes the success of his mining career to his inherent intelligence and his childhood, where he developed important skills like hard-work and independence.

Clifford was twice named “Mining Man of the Year” in Canada
He was made an honorary Indian Chief of the Kaska Dene
He was the first appointed mayor of Thompson, Manitoba (1964-1966)
He played hockey for the Trail Jr. Smoke Eaters and the UBC Thunderbirds

Clifford Frame is well known for his 50 years of mine building and operating. However, his mining experience is only one aspect of the life of a fascinating self-made person.

Graduating Clifford Frame Cliff was born in Russell, Manitoba. During the Great Depression, the family moved to Trail, British Columbia where he grew up. Growing up with Depression era parents and the resulting impact of the second World War, forced him, as it did many others, to mature very quickly. He worked all summers during his teenage years and, when he was thirteen, was employed as a milk deliveryman in his local neighbourhood which necessitated a very early start before school!

He enjoyed high school – Trail high school was considered one of the best schools in the province. It was known for producing academic scholars and hockey players. In fact, one of his best friends and classmates would later lead the Boeing design team for the 747 aircraft.

Cliff had a natural ability in sciences and math and he elected to study engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He was awarded the Kennecott Scholarship in his third and fourth year, influencing his choice of mining engineering. He graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Applied Science, Mining Engineering.

Unlike other students, Cliff had three years of smelter experience, one year of underground mining experience, a mining certificate, and a published thesis. All of this was accomplished before he took his first post-university job at Britannia Mines.

He worked three years in the smelter complex in Trail and one year on the Waneta power project before going to the Sullivan mine in Kimberley, British Columbia, where he got his first underground mining experience and became certified as a qualified miner. This experience was also the basis for his fourth-year thesis, written on the mining methods employed in the Sullivan mine and which was published in the Canadian Mining Journal.