Dorothy

History

Dorothy began as a farming community around 1895. Around this time, John Percy McBeath established a homestead and general store in the area. In the 1920s and 1930s, coal was discovered in the region at locations including the Atlas Mine. Dorothy reached its peak population of around 100 residents around this time. Two years later, members of the United Church purchased a farmhouse for $50 and converted it into a place of worship for their congregation. To fund the conversion, Dorothy's residents, particularly local women, held fundraisers and bake sales; Nellie McClung attended one such fundraiser in 1931. The first sermon at the completed church took place in 1932. In 1944 Catholic residents of Dorothy purchased a disused school building from a nearby settlement for $50, and converted into the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Harrington reported that the population of single women in Dorothy was dwarfed by its population of 20 bachelors. Lands around Dorothy were prospected for bentonite deposits in 1955, but samples were too poor to be commercially viable. Dorothy's school closed in 1960. The next year Dorothy's United Church closed, and the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help closed in 1967. Ferry services ended in Dorothy in 1975 when a permanent bridge was installed over the Red Deer River. Rail services to Dorothy ended in June 1977. The Mashon Bros. store closed in 1979, and Dorothy's post office closed in May 1991.

Most-observed species

• Pulsatilla nuttalliana (DC.) Spreng.

  Pulsatilla nuttalliana (DC.) Spreng. · Magnoliopsida
  1,334
• silver sagebrush

  Artemisia cana Pursh · Magnoliopsida
  649
• cliff prickly-pear

  Opuntia polyacantha Haw. · Magnoliopsida
  596
• longleaf wormwood

  Artemisia longifolia Nutt. · Magnoliopsida
  578
• plains springparsley

  Cymopterus glomeratus DC. · Magnoliopsida
  489
• alkali plantain

  Plantago eriopoda Torr. · Magnoliopsida
  334
• pingue rubberweed

  Hymenoxys richardsonii (Hook.) Cockerell · Magnoliopsida
  245
• moss phlox

  Phlox hoodii Richardson · Magnoliopsida
  221