Dorothea Mitchell facts for kids

Dorothea Mitchell (1877–1976) was a Canadian pioneer filmmaker. She was also known as the "Lady Lumberjack." In 1929, Mitchell helped start Canada's first amateur film group, the Port Arthur Amateur Cinema Society. She made three long films: A Race For Ties (1929), Sleep Inn Beauty (1929), and The Fatal Flower (started in 1930 but not finished). A Race For Ties was special because it was the first full-length amateur film made in Canada.

Dorothea Mitchell was also the first single woman to get land for farming in Ontario in 1911. She worked as a station master at Silver Mountain Station and ran a sawmill. This sawmill business earned her the nickname "Lady Lumberjack." In 1968, she wrote a book about her life called Lady Lumberjack. Other writings by Mitchell were put together in a special collection in 2005.

Early Life in England and India

Dorothea Mitchell was born in England in 1877. Her family, including her younger sister Vera, moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), India. Her father worked there building railroads for the British Empire. Dorothea and Vera were educated in India. They learned manners and dancing, like other children from important families.

Mitchell's mother also taught her daughters skills usually learned by boys. These included carpentry, riding horses, and shooting. In the 1890s, the family returned to England. Soon after, Dorothea's father passed away. The family's wealthy status in India changed to middle class in England. Dorothea started working different jobs to help support her mother and sister.

Moving to Canada

Mitchell moved to Canada by herself in 1904. She was looking for work opportunities. She first arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She worked various jobs, like teaching dancing and swimming. She was waiting for her mother and sister to join her in Hamilton, Ontario.

In 1909, her mother and sister were delayed by illness. Mitchell then left Hamilton to work for a mining engineer in Silver Mountain, Ontario. This job was short because the silver mining business slowed down. But Mitchell stayed in the area. She began working for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) as a station master. She also ran the local general store.

The Lady Lumberjack

Mitchell saw how valuable lumber was. She bought a sawmill and hired workers. This is how she earned her famous nickname, "Lady Lumberjack." People who knew her said the name fit her well. They described her as proper and ladylike, but also very independent and brave.

For example, someone cheated her out of $130 in her sawmill business. She went to court by herself and won the case. Later, she used the story of a dishonest timber dealer as an idea for her first film, A Race For Ties.

A Woman's Homestead

Normally, single women could not get free land grants. But Mitchell was given a homestead in 1907. She received 79 acres, which was less than half of what men usually got. She was the first single woman to be granted a homestead in Ontario. Mitchell lived in a small house on the property. Her mother and sister finally arrived from England and lived there with her.

Mitchell stayed active and determined in her many interests throughout her life. In her autobiography, she wrote about getting into photography. She said, "After I traded an old cook stove for a camera, I became renowned for my photography instead of my dresses." Her interest in film, writing, and other activities helped her later in her filmmaking career.

Film Career

In 1921, Mitchell moved to Port Arthur, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay). Her mother and sister had moved there the year before. Mitchell worked different jobs again, such as a teacher and an accountant. Through her work, she met Fred Cooper, who owned a local bakery.

Mitchell was known in the area as a good photographer and a keen writer. She was involved in local newspapers and theaters. This made her a perfect partner for Fred Cooper, who wanted to make films. Together, they started the Port Arthur Amateur Cinema Society (PAACS) in February 1929. This group was the first amateur film group in Canada. Their first film, A Race For Ties, was the first full-length film made by non-professionals in Canada.

A Race For Ties (1929)

Mitchell used her many skills for A Race For Ties. She was an actor, production manager, editor, casting director, and writer. As the writer, Mitchell used her own experiences for the story. The film was about a small sawmill owner who competed against a large timber company. They were both trying to win a contract for railway ties.

In her book, Lady Lumberjack, Mitchell wrote about her work with the Cinema Society. She said the film was "based on a timber deal I had myself experienced... but of course making a young girl the heroine." She also said, "As the author, I was privileged to choose the cast, and, with the Photographer and Director, became a charter member of the Amateur Cinema Society of Thunder Bay."

The film first showed at Thunder Bay's Lyceum Theatre in May 1929. The three-night event was very popular. About four hundred people could not get in because the theater was full. Mitchell remembered it as "a truly posh affair." People gave many compliments. The manager of the biggest local movie house said their film was "definitely ahead of many of the early professional productions." The PAACS also showed their newsreel at the event. This newsreel was the first to include local news from Northwestern Ontario, along with national and international news.

Sleep Inn Beauty (1929) and The Fatal Flower (1930)

The PAACS's second full-length film was Sleep Inn Beauty. Mitchell again produced, cast, and wrote it. She based the story on a short story. In her autobiography, she said that the success of the first two films encouraged the PAACS to grow. They rented an office and more equipment.

However, in 1931, the Society had to close. Members lost interest, and they had bank debt from filming the unfinished The Fatal Flower. The start of the Great Depression and the arrival of sound film also led to the Society's closure.

The Fatal Flower Project (2004)

In 2004, a small group in Thunder Bay decided to finish Mitchell's last film, The Fatal Flower. This group included film historians, filmmakers, writers, and artists. Led by filmmaker Kelly Saxberg, "The Fatal Flower Project" learned about Mitchell. They used old film clips, her autobiography, and her earlier films. They then finished the silent film. They edited the raw footage, added a story, title cards, and music. The finished film was shown at Thunder Bay's historic Finnish Labour Temple.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1930, Mitchell became the first secretary-treasurer for the new Port Arthur General Hospital. After the film society closed in 1931, Mitchell's mother and sister passed away. Mitchell then took over a real estate and accounting business in Port Arthur. She was also involved in St. John's Anglican Church and the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire.

In 1939, at 63 years old, Mitchell joined the Red Cross Society. She worked in transportation and helped register Canadian women for volunteer work during World War II. She continued to help military families and British orphans. In 1941, she retired to the West Coast, settling in Victoria, British Columbia.

In Victoria, she joined the Victoria Amateur Movie Club and the Victoria Branch of the Canadian Authors Association. In 1968, at 91, Mitchell published her book of stories, Lady Lumberjack. Dorothea Mitchell passed away in Victoria in 1976, at the age of 99.

The Silver Mountain and Area Historical Society is working to name a part of Highway 593 the Dorothea Mitchell Memorial Highway.

Cheryl Desroches reviewed Lady Lumberjack, a collection of Mitchell's works. She said that Mitchell "defied notions... of appropriate female behaviour." Mitchell's experiences made her believe strongly that "women were capable of anything men could do." Desroches praised the book for showing Mitchell as an early supporter of women's rights, like Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill.