Dorothy ABAt the southeast end of highway 10, approximately 35 kilometers downriver from Drumheller, is the partially abandoned village of Dorothy. The drive is worth it, especially in the summertime when you can enjoy interesting views of the badlands along the way. At Dorothy there is a rustic community center where you can stop for a picnic. Dorothy has two abandoned churches and a grain elevator that are worth seeing. They have started to renovate the churches so hopefully they will be recovered shortly. Beside Dorothy is the mammoth Circus Coulee which is more than 2 kilometers long, and is almost as wide. Its worth driving across the bridge to the west rim to get an overview of this area of the badlands. scenery to view than you can imagine! The scenery changes dramatically with the seasons too, so virtually any time of year the park can be spectacular. |
Dorothy Grain Elevator Catholic Church Anglican Church Churches - Winter Anglican church winter
Catholic chuch winter Catholic Church night Church night shot2 Church night shot3 Dorothy in Wintertime
Red Deer River Dorothy in Summertime Looking Upriver Circus Coulee Road climbing from River
Atlas Coal MineThe Atlas Coal Mine is between Dorothy and Drumheller at the junction of highway 56 that joins highway 10 from the west. This coal mine was one of the largest in its heyday. It has been turned into an interpretive center and it is well worth visiting. There is an interpretive tour available and the guides tell many interesting stories of the mines. Along with the mine, tipple and other buildings I always go to the abandoned railway bridge that is just upstream from the mine. It is a fantastic looking structure. |
Tipple Tipple 2 Bridge - summertime Mine train Mine coal car
Minesite wintertime Tipple in winter Coal trucks Train bridge in winter Bridge over River
Dorothy - March 2012Visiting Dorothy this March it was nice to see that rather than deteriorating further the churches have been renovated. Although it takes away the character I favor for photography, I am glad to see the churches are being looked after. I cannot say the same for the old Alberta Pacific Grain elevator. It looks like some of the walls are starting to crack so I think it will be only a matter of time before it collapses like the one near Mosseligh did. That would be sad but inevitable. I also crossed the bridge to the south rim where I used to hunt deer. The bridge and road are still in great shape, and a surprising number of vehicles crossed as I was setting up to photograph the bridge. A couple also came by, skating on the frozen river. Fantastic! |
Bridge Catholic church United church Both churches Grain elevator
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