Description of Historic Place

The Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut is a rustic log cabin located at the edge of a forest, and enjoys scenic views across a meadow to a glacier and mountains. It is comprised of a center section flanked by two, modest wings and features a steeply pitched gable roof. Located in the center, the main entrance is covered by a porch gable. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
The Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut, built by the Alpine Club of Canada for the use of its members, is associated with the development of mountaineering in Canada. It is also associated with the opening up of Yoho National Park of Canada to ski mountaineering and winter recreation.

Architectural Value
The Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut is a good example of rustic architecture. Its natural building materials and construction methods reflect the rustic aesthetic. It is also a very good example of functional design, to serve as a base facility for summer camp programs and winter ski touring.

The Environmental Value
The Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut maintains an unchanged historical relationship with the natural character of its site at Yoho National Park of Canada. Located in an alpine meadow at the edge of a coniferous forest, it is compatible with its picturesque setting and well known by the hiking and climbing community.

Sources: Kate MacFarlane, Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut, Little Yoho Valley, Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report, 98-074; Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut, Little Yoho Valley, Yoho National Park of Canada, British Columbia, Heritage Character Statement, 98-074.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut should be respected.

The rustic aesthetic, for example:

-the simplicity of the overall form of the building as expressed by the scale, massing and symmetrical composition of the main block, entrance porch and side wings, all sheltered by steeply pitched gable roofs;
-the choice of local materials, indigenous building methods and rustic design details such as the horizontally laid, peeled round logs with saddle-notched corners, the exposed rafters at the roof eaves, the random rubble masonry fireplace and chimney, the exposed beams and joists, the hardwood floor, and the inscription carved into the face of the wood mantelpiece.

The unchanged historical relationship of the Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut to its alpine meadow site, and the manner in which it is compatible to its picturesque setting which is familiar to the hiking and climbing community of Yoho National Park, as evidenced by:

-the building’s unchanged relationship with its natural site;
-the overall rustic appearance and natural building materials of the building, which harmonize with its natural environment;
-the building’s visible location in a meadow at the edge of a forest.