Home / Accueil

North West Mounted Police Stables

Dawson, Yukon, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1988/04/14

View of the N.W.M.P. Stables, showing the ventilated cupola and the narrow stall windows, 1987; Agence Parcs Canada / Parks Canada Agency, 1987.
General view
Side View; ©Permission Guy Masson
Side view
Side View; ©Permission Guy Masson
Side View

Other Name(s)

North West Mounted Police Stables
Former N.W.M.P. Stables
Ancienne écurie de la P.C.N.-O.

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1903/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2008/08/05

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The North-West Mounted Police (N.W.M.P.) Stables, also known as the Former N.W.M.P. Stables, is located on what was the site of Fort Herchmer and later became the south end of Dawson City in the ‘Government Reserve’. It is a timber structure with a gable roof that features a louvred cupola. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The N.W.M.P. Stables is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
The N.W.M.P. Stables is closely associated with the North-West Mounted Police, and its role in the rapid, early development of Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush. The structure is associated with the establishment of law and order, and the exercise of Canadian sovereignty in the northern territories. It is also one of Canada’s few remaining N.W.M.P. buildings from this period.

Architectural Value:
The N.W.M.P. Stables is valued for its good, simple aesthetic. It is a timber frame building designed to accommodate horses in sub-arctic frontier conditions. The structure retains its functional character despite being reduced by about 40% sometime prior to 1925. The structure exhibits good functional design and good workmanship and materials.

Environmental Value:
The N.W.M.P. Stables reinforces the character and previous role of the government reserve area taken in association with the surviving structures of Fort Herchmer. It is a familiar landmark to residents and visitors.

Sources:
Brian Dewalt, N.W.M.P. Stables, Government Reserve, Site 4, Parcel U4, Dawson City, Yukon, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 87-069; Former N.W.M.P. Stables, Dawson, Yukon Territory, Heritage Character Statement 87-069.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the N.W.M.P. Police Stables should be respected.

Its good functional design and good construction and materials, as evidenced in:
- the simple, functional form of the structure, the rectangular massing formed by the gable-roofed structure;
- the timber frame construction and the timber siding of the exterior walls;
- the functional features that characterize it as a stable such as the ventilated cupola, and the narrow stall windows;
- the large multi-paned window in each gable;
- the double doors that provide access.

The manner in which the N.W.M.P. Stables reinforces the Fort Herchmer complex setting and is a familiar landmark, as evidenced by:
- its overall design and materials that harmonize with the surroundings and with the other buildings withinin the fort setting;
- its role as an important component of the group of four surviving structures from the Fort Herchmer complex, which makes it familiar to locals and visitors.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Treasury Board Heritage Buildings Policy

Recognition Type

Recognized Federal Heritage Building

Recognition Date

1988/04/14

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Government
Police Station

Architect / Designer

Robert Moncrieff

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

3035

Status

Published

Related Places

General view

NWMP Married Quarters

The North-West Mounted Police (N.W.M.P) Married Officers’ Quarters is located on the ‘Government Reserve’, a rectangular block of land, on what was the site of Fort Herchmer in…

General view of the place

Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site of Canada

The Dawson Historical complex comprises the core of Dawson City, Yukon, a town established during the Klondike Gold Rush on a flat of land at the confluence of the Yukon and…

General view

North West Mounted Police Jail

The North West Mounted Police (N.W.M.P.) Jail, also known as the former N.W.M.P. Hospital and Jail is located on a rectangular block of land on what was the site of Fort Herchmer…

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places