I’d heard about the hamlet of Dorothy from a friend who’d been there as part of a field-trip for a photography class. As I was heading through the Red Deer River region, in the heart of the Alberta badlands, I thought I’d make a small detour to take a first-hand look at this so-called “ghost town”.
The photo below shows my first view of Dorothy, taken when I crested the hill framing the Red Deer River valley. As you can see it’s a small sleepy place that’s hard to even recognized as a community, a place well removed from crowds or life in the fast lane. At its peak nearly a century ago less than 100 people lived here and now you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a dozen residents. But there are still a few hardy souls who make their home in Dorothy.
(My first view of Dorothy, Alberta)
The most dominant feature of the landscape, aside from the eroded Badlands, is the town’s grain elevator. It was built in 1928 but was only used until 1951 when it closed. During the past sixty years, the elements have taken their toll but have sculpted a unique structure. Long ago Dorothy had two additional grain elevators but these have long since been demolished.
These historic grain elevators were constructed of wood and are quickly disappearing from the Canadian prairies, being replaced with massive tubular steel structures. I’m glad I saw this one because I think it’s elegant in its decay. The logo painted near the top, while very faded, indicates it was affiliated with the Alberta Pacific Grain Company, the only elevator of it’s type I’ve ever seen.
Train tracks came through Dorothy in 1928-29 and for several decades the line was busy, transporting coal mined nearby to eastern markets. When coal mining ceased in the region about 50 years ago, the train traffic disappeared and the tract was abandoned in the mid-1970s.
In addition to the grain elevator, there are a number of partially ruined buildings in Dorothy, several of which are quite photogenic. Some are homes, some are storage sheds, one may even be an old garage.
The original store in Dorothy was destroyed by a fire; even its replacement has long been closed…..
There are a several older vehicles and pieces of farm equipment parked around Dorothy, lending to the atmosphere of a “ghost town”.
Dorothy has two churches which are in a reasonable state of repair but which are no longer actively used. The Dorothy Catholic Church is show below. More on these interesting church buildings in a future post.
Visiting a small place like Dorothy isn’t for everyone, but if you’re like me and like to explore unusual small destinations, then I’d recommend parking the car and walking around a bit. Not only are you likely to see some interesting decaying structures, you are surrounded by the timeless beauty of the Alberta Badlands.
