Description of Historic Place

The Ray Farm Cabin is a one-storey, rectangular building with a gable roof. It is constructed of horizontal logs and is located in a grassy meadow near the Clearwater River in the southern portion of Wells Gray Provincial Park, near the town of Clearwater in north-central British Columbia. The Cabin is surrounded by meadow, the remains of an adjacent residence, and small outbuildings, gravesite, fence remains and a mineral spring.

Heritage Value

Constructed circa 1929 and believed to be the earliest structure on the site, the Ray Farm Cabin is important for its historical, aesthetic and interpretive values. Although the building is abandoned and will be allowed to decay naturally over time, the Ray Farm Cabin is valued for its interpretive ability to demonstrate a former way of life in the North Thompson and Clearwater valleys prior to the creation of Wells Gray Provincial Park.

The Cabin is valued for its historical association with pioneer trapper and farmer John Ray, one of very few settlers who made a living in the isolation of the North Thompson Valley. It is important as the first residence constructed on the Ray Farm site, at a time when the land was being cleared and developed into a working farm in the wilderness.

The building is important aesthetically for its construction materials and its design. It was built from uniform cedar square-finished logs laid horizontally, with a wood-shingle gable roof and shed roof extension, all of which were typical features of many early pioneering structures. Early pioneers in the area by necessity used the local materials at hand, as the journey to Clearwater, the nearest settlement, was a trip of two to three days over pack trails.

The building and surrounding meadow have recreational and wildlife values because they are important as habitat. The Ray Farm is one of the best areas in the park for wildlife viewing.

The Ray Farm Cabin is a valued asset for interpretive purposes within the park, and has social value through the interest of the Friends of Wells Gray Park, located in Clearwater.

Source: Ministry of Environment, BC Parks

Character-Defining Elements

Key character-defining elements of the Ray Farm Cabin include:

Site:
-location in a grassy meadow clearing in the southern part of Wells Gray Provincial Park
-location near the Clearwater River and Ray's Mineral Spring
-siting adjacent to the remains of the later Ray Farm Residence

Building:
-rectangular massing and one-storey height of the building
-horizontal square-finished log construction
-one-room interior
-gable roof clad with wood shingles, and shed roof extension
-wood-framed window and door openings
-window openings in the gable ends
-tall wooden finial on gable end