Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin

Recognized Federal Heritage Building

Banff National Park of Canada, Alberta
General view of the Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin, showing its wood construction with round logs laid horizontally with saddle-notched corners, 1990. (© Agence Parcs Canada / Parks Canada Agency, 1990.)
General view
(© Agence Parcs Canada / Parks Canada Agency, 1990.)
Address : Egypt Lake, Banff National Park of Canada, Alberta

Recognition Statute: Treasury Board Policy on Management of Real Property
Designation Date: 1994-07-15
Dates:
  • 1942 to 1942 (Construction)

Other Name(s):
  •   (Other Name)
Custodian: Parks Canada
FHBRO Report Reference: 93-107
DFRP Number: 15404 00

Description of Historic Place

Located on a terrace, two kilometers north of Egypt Lakes and looking westward toward the Pharaoh Peaks, the Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin is a small, gable-roofed, one-room log structure. The off-centered main entrance door is tucked away under the gabled porch roof. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
The Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin is a useful illustration of the transportation and communications network within park boundaries. The cabin is one of a network of cabins built to house wardens patrolling the park on horseback in the summer or on snowshoes or skis in winter. It was situated to minimize the travel time to other cabins.

Architectural Value
The Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin is a very good example of utilitarian design that is rustic in character. Its value also resides in its simple design and the textures of its locally gathered construction materials. At the time of its construction it was felt to set a new standard to which all other warden cabins should be built.

Environmental Value
Set in a sub-alpine meadow, the Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin looks westward toward the Pharaoh Peaks. The Cabin is a landmark for travelers in this heavily used backcountry area. The historic relationship of the cabin to its surrounding landscape has remained unchanged and the cabin is compatible with the present character of its mountain park setting.

Source:
Egypt Lake Warden Cabin, Banff National Park, Banff, Alberta, Heritage Character Statement, 93-107.

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin should be respected.

Its utilitarian design with rustic character, quality craftsmanship and materials such as: its simple massing of a gable-roofed cabin with a sheltered porch constituting the front third of the structure; its use of wood construction with round logs laid horizontally with saddle-notched corners and rough rubble-stone walls; its three-log, tie-beam support system evident in the front porch; its multi-pane horizontal sliding wood windows, wooden shutters, doors and interior board finishes; its paint scheme of dark brown and white and the green-tinted wood shingle roof, which is a traditional feature of warden cabins.

The manner in which Egypt Lakes Warden Cabin is compatible with the present character of its mountain park setting in Banff National Park.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

The Egypt Lake Warden Cabin was constructed in the summer of 1942 to a standardized plan developed in 1918 by James T. Childe, Dominion Parks staff engineer. Parks Canada is the custodian. See FHBRO Building Report 93-107.

Reasons for Designation
The Egypt Lake Warden Cabin was designated Recognized for its architectural and environmental qualities.

The cabin at Egypt Lake is one of a network of cabins built to house the wardens as they patrol the backcountry on horseback in summer and on snowshoes or skis in winter. It was situated to minimize the travel time to other cabins. Together, these cabins formed the transportation and communications network that linked the park by patrol district to the farthest reaches of its boundaries.

In its functional qualities and construction materials, the Egypt Lake cabin is an excellent example of everything a backcountry warden's cabin should be. Indeed, at the time of its construction it was felt to set a new standard to which all other cabins should be built.

Located on a terrace two kilometres north of Egypt Lake and looking westward toward the Pharaoh Peaks, the cabin is sited picturesquely in a sub-alpine meadow. A small creek providing fresh water to the site runs past the cabin and through the clearing that contains a corral, tack shed and privy. The cabin is a landmark in this heavily used backcountry area near the boundary between Banff and Kootenay National Parks.

Character Defining Elements
The heritage character of the Egypt Lake Warden Cabin resides in its simple utilitarian design, in its materials of construction, and in its site relationships. Its massing is plain: a gable-roofed cabin with a sheltered porch constituting the front third of the structure. The main entrance door is tucked away under the porch roof and situated off-centre. The simplicity of the massing should be respected.

The cabin derives much of its character from the rustic materials of its construction. Wood is the predominant material: round logs with saddle-notched corners. Three large log columns support the roof of the porch along the front elevation and a balustrade of vertical, small-diameter logs encloses the porch. The ends of the round log roof purlins and the dimension-lumber rafters are visible at the exterior, reinforcing the rustic design motif. Cedar shingles clad the roof. These materials and details merit preservation.

The original multi-pane horizontal sliding windows have been replaced with modern units, and the original rubble-stone foundation has been reworked as a preserved wood foundation. Further departures from the intended rustic approach to construction should be resisted.

The simple paint scheme is traditional, and appropriate to the cabin's rustic aesthetic. The walls, columns, and balustrade are painted dark brown while the fascia boards, balustrade railing, and the endgrain of the wall logs, purlins, and rafters are highlighted in white. These should be retained.

The historic relationship of the Egypt Lake Warden Cabin to its surrounding landscape has remained unchanged. Maintaining these site relationships would contribute to the continuation of the cabin's remote and rustic character.