Categories: Travel

A ghost town in Alberta is named after this famous literary character

Photo via Em Medland-Marchen

At the turn of the century, a pioneer named Arthur Peake settled east of Drumheller and named the hamlet after a little girl named Dorothy.

She lived nearby with her father, Jack Wilson, another pioneer rancher who settled in the area.

With The Wonderful Wizard of Oz published in 1900, and the original Peake family log cabin built in 1897, it puts these two figures together at the same point in history: Dorothy, the little girl who lived in the prairies of Central Alberta, and Dorothy, the literary character from Kansas.

Although we’re not sure if Arthur Peake was thinking of the book at the time he named the settlement, it’s very possible, especially when you consider the desolate, vast expanse surrounding Dorothy, Alta., today.

It’s a setting that looks like it came straight from the 1939 film, a prairie wasteland that seems primed for a tornado cascading through.

In 1991, Dorothy recorded a population of 14 in Canada’s national census. Today, it’s a ghost town on the eastern perimeter of the province, just 35 km from Drumheller.

All that remains is a United and Catholic Church, along with a crumbling grain elevator and a small cabin or two.

What to expect

There’s not much to do in Dorothy, but it is an excellent place to take pictures, especially of oncoming storms as they float in from the west.

A day trip to Dorothy from Drumheller, Alta., makes for a memorable road trip, and includes crossing the 11 bridges of Wayne, Alta., to journey there.

You can also eat at the retro and wonderful Asteroid burger joint in Rosedale, a great place to stop in for a slider made with premium Alberta beef and complemented by hand-cut fries.

Continue east to hit Dorothy, a ghost town that’s mostly empty, especially in the fall and winter months.

Two churches stand, desolate against the prairie backdrop. A Catholic Church was originally a school, but was converted into a place of worship in 1933. It hosted services in the ’40s and remained active until 1967, when it was decommissioned.

The United Church was built in 1932 and was active as a social venue until 1961.

Dorothy is a fantastic place to visit for authentic prairie photographs, ones that capture the drama of the landscape.

It’s also a must-see for fans of the beloved children’s novel — after all, there’s no place like home.