Description of Historic Place

Creek Cabin, at the Skoki Ski Lodge National Historic Site of Canada is situated in the Banff National Park of Canada. It is a rustic style, simple one-room log structure with a gable roof extending over the entrance on log purlins to shelter the entrance. Situated in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, it lies adjacent to a glacier fed mountain stream and surrounded by a forest filled with spruce and white bark pine at an elevation of 2,164 metres in a clearing on the banks of Little Pipestone Creek. Along with three other guest cabins, it was built in 1936 by Earl Spencer for noted Banff guide, outfitter, and log builder James Boyd, to accommodate the growing number of ski-tourists to the park and completes the site. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Creek Cabin is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
Creek Cabin is a very good illustration of the national theme of recreation and tourism and its development in Canada’s National Parks. The first such facility to operate on a commercial basis in Canada, Creek Cabin, as part of the facility, was built specifically to cater to the growing number of ski-tourists in Banff National Park of Canada and represents the pioneering phase of skiing as a major recreational activity in North America. The Skoki Ski Lodge remains a major destination point within the park and Creek Cabin continues to accommodate park visitors from all over the world.

Architectural Value
Creek Cabin is a very good example of the rustic design tradition in Canadian National Parks and winter resort construction. It serves as an example of an original traditional log design and construction using local materials and workmanship long associated with the Banff region.

Environmental Value
The picturesque mountain setting around Creek Cabin, the layout of the buildings and their relationship to each other, historic trails, footpaths and unspoiled setting reinforce its historical relationship to the site. It remains on its original site and maintains its original physical and functional relationship to the other buildings, the site and its natural surroundings. Creek Cabin acts as a visual landmark for tourists in the park and is a well known skiing and hiking destination for travelers. Access to the site is restricted to traditional methods of transportation thus maintaining its original remote wilderness quality.

Sources: Kate Macfarlane, Skoki Ski Lodge, Banff National Park, Alberta. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 96-105; Creek Cabin, Skoki Ski Lodge, Banff National Park, Alberta, Heritage Character Statement 96-105.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Creek Cabin should be respected.

Its rustic aesthetic and traditional log design and construction and use of local hand-hewn materials as manifested in: its simple and plain massing as a single-room gable-roofed cabin; wood as the predominant construction material with locally-hewn spruce logs as the bulk of construction material; the walls of unscribed horizontal log construction with saddle-notched corners; the roof extended on log purlins over the entrance sheltering the raised wooden porch; entrance door centered on the front gabled end; a single window centred on each side elevation and small asymmetrically-placed windows located on the back elevation; the patina of weathered wood; multi-paned windows, the plank door and the tongue-and-groove floorboards constructed of milled lumber components.

The manner in which Creek Cabin reinforces the picturesque character of the mountain park setting.

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 Creek Cabin of the Skoki Ski Lodge National Historic Site was built in 1936. Constructed by Earl Spencer for Jim Boyce, it was one of three structures erected in the same year to provide additional accommodation. The building currently retains its original use as tourist accommodation. Parks Canada is the custodian of this National Historic Site. See FHBRO Building Report 96-1 05.

Reasons for Designation
The Creek Cabin of the Skoki Ski Lodge National Historic Site has been designated Classified primarily for its environmental significance, and also for its architectural qualities and historical associations.
The Skoki Ski Lodge is environmentally significant for several reasons. Situated twelve miles north of Lake Louise in the Skoki Valley, the resort lies in the centre of magnificent ski touring country close to several glaciers. The Creek Cabin and the four other guest cabins are arranged in a fan-like semi-circle around the centrally placed main building. Since access to the site has not changed, being restricted to foot, horseback and ski trail, the remote, wilderness character remains unspoiled.

Architecturally, the Skoki Ski Lodge in Banff National Park is a unique example of an original rustic winter resort characteristic of the Banff region. It has remained virtually unchanged since its completion in 1936.

The historical significance of the Creek Cabin, as a component of the entire lodge, derives from its association with the growth of back-country recreation in the national parks and tourism development. Being the first such facility to operate on a commercial basis in Canada, the Skoki Ski Lodge represents the pioneering phase of skiing as a major recreational activity.

The popularity of the Skoki Ski Lodge influenced further development of the site. It was the construction of the Creek Cabin, along with the Bunkhouse and Bathhouse in 1936, that completed the site’s development. The lodge remains a major destination point within the park.

Character Defining Elements
The heritage character of the Creek Cabin resides in its picturesque mountainous setting and in its rustic design. Its simple configuration and use of local materials exhibit the basic tenets of rustic architecture.

The cabin’s massing is plain: a simple, one-roomed, gable-roofed cabin. The roof is extended on log purlins over the entrance, sheltering the raised, wooden porch. The entrance door is centred on the front gabled end. A single window is centred on each of the side elevations, while two small asymmetrically-placed windows are located on the back elevation. The patina of weathered wood contributes to the historic appearance. The simple massing of the Creek Cabin is an important feature of the rustic aesthetic.

Wood is the predominant construction material. Locally-hewn spruce logs supply the bulk of construction material. The walls are of unscribed horizontal log construction with saddle-notched corners, characteristic of the traditional log construction practised in the mountain parks during the early decades of this century. Multi-paned windows, the plank door and the tongue-and-groove floorboards are constructed of milled lumber components. Aluminum sheet metal clads the roof. Any repairs or upgrades should match the original construction materials and retain the simplicity of their execution. Consideration may be given to replacing the aluminum roofing with wood shingles.

The single-room interior is heated by a small wood-burning stove. Facilities are simple but adequate, and contribute to the back-country recreational experience. It would be fitting to maintain the function and layout.

Located in a clearing on the banks of Little Pipestone Creek, the lodge consists of the main building surrounded by five guest cabins. The Creek Cabin, along with the Bunkhouse and Bathhouse, were added to the Skoki Ski Lodge site a short distance from the main building to increase the amount of guest accommodation. The Creek Cabin remains on its original site to the west and slightly to the south of the main building. The historic relationship to both the alpine landscape and the other structures has remained virtually unchanged since its construction in 1936.

Beyond respecting the traditional relationships between buildings, preventing vehicular access is the most important factor in maintaining the remote, wilderness quality of the setting.