Description of Historic Place

Isolated in the rugged landscape of the northern region of Ellesmere Island, the Fort Conger Buildings are a cluster of three, small wood-frame huts arranged in an L-shaped pattern. They are partially below grade and are connected by tunnels running through their foundations. All of the huts are clad with boards and have flat-roofs that slope away from the center of the cluster. The use of earth, sod and/or snow on the roofs and moulded against the walls create additional layers of insulation. The Henson hut is the most complete structure, retaining all of its outer cladding. The Dedrick hut, at the center of the group, has lost most of its exterior cladding, whereas the Inuit hut has lost its roof, its west wall, and much of its outer cladding. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Fort Conger buildings were designated Classified because they are rare surviving examples of buildings associated with north polar exploration at the turn of the century, in particular, with Peary's attempts to reach the North Pole. While Peary’s 1901-02 attempt to reach the Pole did not succeed, he is often credited with reaching it in 1909, at which time the Fort Conger buildings served as an ancillary base for the expedition.

The buildings are also designated for their representation of the functional adaptation of structures to the High Arctic climate. The Fort Conger site on Lady Franklin Bay was the most northerly base camp used in the early explorations of the North Pole region. Peary combined Western materials and technology with Inuit design principles to create rudimentary, but well-insulated, structures which have survived reasonably intact for nearly a century. This fusion of ideas produced a marked improvement in the environmental adaptation of the structures over those constructed by earlier expeditions.

Although the site was also used by subsequent American, Danish and British expeditions, its turn-of-the-century character remains intact. The cluster of historic wooden structures and associated archaeological remains in the rugged isolated setting of northern Ellesmere Island remain a regional landmark.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the three huts at Fort Conger include: the site's status as a landmark in a sparsely-populated environment; the small scale of the structures, the use of earth, sod, and/or snow on the roof and against the walls to create additional layers of insulation; the partially below-grade construction employing tunnel entrances to limit the penetration of outside air; the close clustering of buildings to facilitate their interconnection by tunnels, reflecting Inuit design principles; building materials salvaged from precarious structures (wood studs, tar paper, boards, cast-iron stoves) and the use of wood frame construction and inter-wall insulation, which represent Western building technology.

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 Fort Conger site consists of three huts built in 1900 by American engineer and explorer Robert E. Peary for use as the principal land base for his 1901-1902 attempt to reach the North Pole. In addition to these huts there are also archaeological remains. Two of the huts are reasonably intact; the third has lost its roof and part of two walls. Parks Canada is the custodial department. See FHBRO Building Report 88-177.

Reasons For Designation

The Fort Conger buildings were designated Classified for their close association with Arctic exploration, in particular, with Peary's attempts to reach the North Pole. The Fort Conger huts are rare surviving examples of buildings associated with North Polar Exploration at the turn of the century. They are also designated for their representation of the functional adaptation of structures to the High Arctic climate, and for the integrity of the site in its remote natural setting.

The Fort Conger site on Lady Franklin Bay was the most northerly base camp used in the early explorations of the North Pole region. Expeditions to the area were led by British Captain George S. Nares in 1875-76 and American Lieutenant Adolphus Greely in 1881, both of which ended in loss of life as a result of inadequate shelter and supplies. Peary's 1898-1902 expedition was threatened in 1900 when his ship the Windward, on which he intended to spend the winter, did not arrive as expected at Fort Conger. Peary used materials from a house built on the site by the Greely expedition to construct the three extant huts, as well as a kitchen building, of which only traces remain. As a result of his study of Arctic shelters, Peary was able to combine Western materials and technology with Inuit design principles to create rudimentary, but well-insulated, structures which have survived reasonably intact for nearly a century. This fusion of ideas produced a marked improvement in the environmental adaptation of the structures over those constructed by earlier expeditions. Peary's design concept was a forerunner to a design for the construction of an emergency house in the 1940 Arctic Manual written by Vilhjalmur Stefansson for the United States Army.

While his 1901-02 attempt to reach the Pole did not succeed, he is often credited with reaching it in 1909, at which time the Fort Conger buildings served as an ancillary base for the expedition.

Although the site was also used by subsequent American, Danish and British expeditions, its turn-of-the-century character remains intact. The cluster of historic
wooden structures and associated archaeological remains, located in the rugged isolated setting of northern Ellesmere Island, is a regional landmark.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage character of the three huts at Fort Conger resides in the design characteristics which facilitated their use as living quarters in a climate of extreme cold, and by the site's status as a landmark in a sparsely-populated environment.

The small scale of the structures, the use of earth, sod, and/or snow on the roof and mounded against the walls to create additional layers of insulation, the partially below-grade construction employing tunnel entrances to limit the penetration of outside air, and the close clustering of buildings to facilitate their interconnection by tunnels reflect Inuit design principles. The salvaged building materials - wood studs, tar paper, boards, cast-iron stoves - and the use of wood frame construction and interwall insulation represent Western building technology. The combination of these materials and design principles achieved a successful shelter design with great historic significance. Every effort should be made to ensure the continuing preservation of original material without altering the utilitarian character of the structures.

To preserve the integrity of the site and setting, the area should remain undeveloped.