Deer Lodge Cabin

Western Canada’s Game Guardians

Nestled within an aspen and spruce woodland in what is now Yoho National Park, Deer Lodge Cabin is among the earliest standing buildings in Canada’s National Parks. Built in 1904 by Reuben Gable, one of several part-time game guardians, the cabin is synonymous with the creation of a warden system involving backcountry patrols supported by networks of small wooden cabins. This system was put into place by Superintendent Howard Douglas immediately following the First World War. The cabins allowed wardens to extend their presence in the parks without need of returning to town, thereby resulting in better game and fire protection outcomes. These game guardians would later become known as “wardens” and were appointed by the Minister of the Interior and given authority to enforce laws and regulations within the parks.

In addition to law enforcement, wardens constructed and maintained trails and helped promote forest conservation practices. Patrols were done on foot and using stallion bred saddle ponies. Even railway handcars were used on occasion – especially where trails and roads were absent.

Warden Cabins

The earliest cabins in the warden system were constructed using peeled logs. They were typically simple structures with one or two rooms, and several ancillary buildings to house equipment and animals. Lighting was provided by kerosene lamps which were later replaced with gasoline and even electric battery powered lights. Water was drawn from wells or nearby water sources and firewood gathered and cut to fuel a wood stove for heating and cooking. Wardens would spend their spare time repairing roofs, building additions, and generally keeping the cabins clean and in good condition.

Deer Lodge Cabin is an excellent example of a warden’s cabin from this era. The building is constructed of peeled logs and is of a rustic vernacular design consisting of a gabled roof with wooden shingles. Joinery consists of both dovetail and saddle notching and reflects two distinctive construction phases for the building. The original structure (dovetail) was later expanded by John Tocher (saddle notching) who was one of the Park’s first game wardens. The craftsmanship reflected in Deer Lodge Cabin was atypical of similar cabins used within the parks at that time. For example, a gabled roof at one end of the cabin covers a small wooden porch area. Rather than use a foundation, the corners of the building were supported using large flat stones which kept the sill logs from coming into contact with the ground. A hatch in the main floor provided access to a crawlspace which was dug out under the structure.

Heritage at Risk

Like many heritage buildings within the National Parks system, warden’s cabins are at risk of damage or destruction due to a variety of natural and human-caused agents. Wildfires are of increasing concern in western Canada due to rises in annual temperature leading to droughts. Erosion caused by seasonal flooding can also place heritage buildings at risk. Damage caused by wildlife as well as vandalism perpetrated by human visitors also constitute threats. For example, local bottle hunters have intentionally targeted historic buildings like Deer Lodge Cabin in their search for rare bottles. Their excavations around the margins of cabins disturb the integrity of the site.

Notes:

[1] Deer Lodge Warden’s Cabin. Unpublished report on file with Parks Canada.

[2] Shannon Ricketts, Deer Lodge Warden Cabin, Yoho National Park, FHeRO Building Report 87-23 .

[3] W.F Lothian,  History of Canada’s National Parks, Volume IV, Chapter 9, Guardians of the Wild. http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/history/lothian/eng/vol4/chap9.htm

Images showing Deer Lodge Cabin as it appeared in 2024, and images of the sectioned point cloud showing interior layout.