Description of Historic Place

The Camp Parker Warden Cabin is located on the northwest bank of Nigel Creek in Banff National Park. It is a modest one-storey, L-shaped building with a gabled roof. Its walls are built with wood frame construction and finished with cedar clapboards. Its roof has a generous overhang which extends beyond the front wall to provide a sheltered entry area. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

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

Historical Value
The Camp Parker Warden Cabin is associated with the National Park policy of constructing a series of outposts for the use of boundary patrols of the Warden Service to control poaching and visitor activities. It is located in close proximity to the outfitters’ camps outside the park, and also relates to historic travel routes and the juncture of important trails through the park. The Cabin, near the South Boundary Trail contributed to the continued use of the back-country station after the centralization policy during the 1960s.

Architectural Value
The Camp Parker Warden Cabin is a good example of a function-oriented design with rustic character. Designed as a two-room structure, the building is simply detailed and carefully executed. Its quality craftsmanship and use of natural building materials respect the rustic architectural imagery practiced within National Parks.

The Environmental Value
The Camp Parker Warden Cabin maintains an unchanged relationship with its immediate surroundings in Banff National Park. The Cabin contributes to the character of its natural setting in its form and materials. The visually conspicuous location is a destination for travelers along the South Boundary Trail.

Sources:
The Camp Parker Warden Cabin, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Heritage Character Statement, 96-99.

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the Camp Parker Warden Cabin in the Jasper National Park of Canada, South Boundary Trail should be respected.

Its function-oriented plan, rustic character and good quality craftsmanship and materials such as:
- its modest one-storey design and L-shaped plan;
- its gable roof with generous overhangs that extend beyond the front wall to provide a sheltered area;
- its walls of good quality wood frame construction finished with cedar clapboard and cornerboards;
- its beveled wood siding, wood shingles, exposed rafter tails and simple door and window trim;
- its centrally-positioned front door flanked by two small windows;
- the even placement and overall symmetry of the window pattern.

The manner in which the Camp Parker Warden Cabin is compatible with the rustic character of the natural setting as evidenced in:
- the structure’s unchanged relationship with the immediate natural surroundings;
- the relationship of the Cabin to the side driveway, to the highway, and to the Tack Shed and corral to its west.