Due to a rather large waiting list we've decided to copy the Ghost Town Tour with a group B event. Please note the change in departure time for group B, as well as a small change in itinerary. Joel will take the A tour at 9:am. Doug will follow with group B at 10:am

The East Coulee School Museum was unable to accomodate our numbers on May 7th, so we've chosen the town of Wanye and a visit to the Rosedeer Hotel ( Last Chance Saloon) as an alternative stop.

The first chapter of Ghosts Towns of Alberta begins in sleepy little village of Rowley, about 30 minutes north of Drumheller. Rowley was a vibrant community of 500 people in the 1920’s; the life blood of the community revolved around agriculture and the rail station. Modern Rowley has a small post office a few comfortable looking (inhabited homes) and 12 prairie hardened souls, who refuse to leave. A long since closed CNR station, two boarded up grain elevators, a couple of abandoned homes and rail cars, and the pseudo touristy main street, which has been restored in an attempt to attract ghost towners, offer wonderful photo opts.

This will serve as an excellent primer for the Atlas Coal Mine which is about a five minute drive east. The Atlas Coal Mine is a National Historic Site and the last remaining wooden coal tipple in Canada. A tipple as defined by Merriam-Webster is “a coal screening plant.” This one stands eight stories high and is a haunting relic of Drumhellor’s glorious mining history. The area around the mine is scattered with a fabulous array of dateless mine machines, plus a number of “ghostly out buildings” where miners once lived and worked. The mine is open at the beginning of May, (hence the event date) and offers guided walking tours around the mine ruins as well as mantrip rides, (rides to and from the mine, presumably in a miner’s car).

Admission is $5.50 per adult. This includes a tipple tour and guided walk around the mine ruins. Remember to bring a lunch as the Atlas has a number of picnic tables for eating.

From there we will head up the road about 15km for the ghost town, Dorothy. At the turn of the century the local store keeper Percy Mcbeth applied to have a post office established at the then nameless settlement. His other suggestion was to name the windswept hamlet, Perciville. Percy got the post office but not his name, as the district post office inspector decided on Dorothy, after the daughter of an earlier rancher in the area. Despite this rejection Percy decided to stay, as did 100 others who lived in Dorothy during its heyday. At its peak the hamlet supported a United Church, Catholic Church, three grain elevators, butcher shop, pool room, grocery store and telephone office. Of particular interest to the ghost towner are the remaining pioneer churches which sag in the middle and lean precariously on crumbling foundations. Unfortunately, they are also testament to the damage pigeons can do to an abandoned building. There are also a couple of pioneer homes and an old single room school worth exploring. Unlike, many of the other ghost towns we scouted, the four remaining residents of Dorothy have not boarded up, or locked up the towns abandoned buildings, so the ghost towner is free to explore at his or her own will.

The last stop will be the "Last Chance Saloon", in the Rosedeer Hotel, in the town of Wanye. The Hotel owner Fred says the ghost of an elderly woman murdered early in the century still haunts the building. He still refuses to go to the 3rd floor where the murder is purported to have occured. The Last Chance is also a popular watering hole for bikers. It should be interesting.

In Rowley we were met by Chris and Doug, who were very nice and took us on a tour of just about the whole town. Chris led our group, while Doug went with group B. Chris was really knowledgeable about the history of the town, its restoration and use as a movie set. We were all amazed by the wonderful job done by the Rowley locals to make several of the buildings into museums. They did a heck of a job at creating some fun displays too!

We ate lunch on the picnic tables, finishing just as the mosquitos found us. Group B wasn’t so lucky, as they started to eat later! We saddled up just in time to get away without much blood loss. Then down the road we went, headed through Drumheller on our way to the Atlas Coal Mine just south of East Coulee. The mine buildings were still in very good condition, and our guide gave us a very interesting and informative tour. We even got to hike up (waaaay up!) into the top of the tipple, and go on a short train ride.

Then it was time to head on to our next stop, the true ghost town of Dorothy. We got to serenade each other on the way with our shiny new Kazoos, from the gift shop at the mine. (thanks Rhonda!) Not much left in Doroty but a couple of collapsing churches and some old cabins that had been restored. The locals have kept up the community hall for occasional gatherings. A couple of houses sit in the vicinity, looking to be occupied.

Last stop was the tiny village of Wayne, once over 3000 people but now just a few left. Not too much there but the Rosedeer Hotel, with the Last Chance Saloon. Both Groups A and B headed in, except for a few folks who had to head home, and had a drink & some dinner. By then we were all in need of something to wash down all that ghost dust!

Finally we headed out on our way back to Calgary. Rhonda had brought a mystery movie from the 1950’s for us to watch (in Marc’s posh company SUV). It was pretty corny in places, definitely worth a laugh, but kept us all watching – luckily it was over just before we reached the city. Wow, what a trip!! I think everybody enjoyed themselves – most of us want to go back & spend more time at Rowley and the Atlas Mine too.