Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin

The Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin is located in a clearing, surrounded by coniferous forest along the North Boundary Trail in Jasper National Park of Canada. It is a modest, single-storey log cabin with a gable roof. It has a log-framed open porch. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

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

Historical Value

The Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin is associated with the National Park program that constructed a series of outposts for the use of boundary patrols of the Warden Service, to control poaching and visitor activities. It is also linked to historic travel routes and to the intersection of important trails through the park.

Architectural Value

The Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin is a good example of a patrol cabin whose design follows the Standard Plan of 1918 of the National Parks Branch and is function-oriented with rustic character. Its quality craftsmanship and use of natural building materials respects the rustic architectural imagery practiced within National Parks.

Environmental Value

The relationship of the Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin to the clearing, the adjacent shed, and the surrounding forest reinforces the character of its natural mountain park setting. It also contributes to the character of its natural setting through its form and materials. The cabin is a destination point and familiar landmark for travelers through Jasper National Park of Canada.

Source: The Middle Forks Patrol Cabin, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Heritage Character Statement, 97-85.

The following character defining elements of the Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin should be respected.

Its function-oriented standard plan, rustic character and good quality craftsmanship and materials such as:

-its simple massing consisting of a rectangular plan, single-storey structure with a gable roof;

-its log-framed open porch with trussed-purlin supports and posts at the gable end;

-its good quality construction; and,

-its walls constructed of peeled logs horizontally laid and saddle-notched at the corners.

The manner in which the Middle Forks Warden Patrol Cabin reinforces the character of its mountain park setting and is a familiar landmark within Jasper National Park of Canada as evidenced in:

-its relationship to the clearing, the adjacent shed, and the surrounding forest; and,

-its location on the North Boundary Trail as a destination point for travelers.