The village of Dorothy, Alta., never grew beyond 100 residents.
Founded in 1895 to serve agricultural pioneers, the hamlet was a
popular meeting place for the first half of the 20th century.
With less than 10 residents today, the near ghost town is located in
the heart of Alberta’s Badlands, about 25 kilometres southeast of
Drumheller in the bottom of a wide river valley.
The district post office inspector named the site Dorothy, after the
daughter of Jack Wilson, a community-minded rancher who arrived in
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1900. The Dorothy post office officially opened in 1908. The hamlet
grew slowly and peaked in popularity just before the Depression.
A railway was built in the early 1920s and with it came a grain
elevator.
At one time the village had three elevators: Alberta Wheat Pool,
Alberta Pacific and United Grain Growers. Now only the Alberta Pacific
stands, unused and in poor condition.
There was once a grocery store, a butcher shop, poolroom, telephone
office, restaurant and a farm machinery dealership.
The school was opened in 1937 and closed in 1960.
The hamlet had two churches, considered the focal point for the area’s
social events.
They stand today, although in disrepair. A community hall still serves
residents of the area.
With the closure of the school, churches and post office in the 1960s,
the community wound down to its current state.
