Kokanee Mountaineering Club, 1921, outside the Slocan Chief Cabin

A History of the Slocan Chief Cabin
by Helen Butling
(KMC Karabiner, Vol.29, Autumn 1986)

The miners built the roads and trails into Kokanee some thirty years before it was declared a park. Of the many cabins they built, the Violet at the head of Silver Spray Creek and the Slocan Chief are the only survivors. For these excellent trails and roads the recreational user of the park today owes a debt of gratitude to those hardy men who created access up the six main drainages of the park. It would be impossible to duplicate those trails and roads today. They were handmade with a pick and shovel, horses and a stone boat or go devil, as it was called, and a hand drill for blasting. The disturbance to the surrounding area was minimal. Except for the odd rockslide and inevitable windfalls, these roads and trails remain in good condition today.

Of the four access routes to the cabin: the Lemon, the Enterprise, the Keene and the Kokanee Creek drainages, Kokanee and Keene Creeks are the most heavily used. From these road heads it is approximately a two to three hour hike to the cabin on a good trail. Four wheel drive vehicles are not required for these gravel roads.

The Slocan Chief Cabin stands on a bedrock bench at the foot of the northwest tongue of Kokanee Glacier at an elevation of 6.600 ft. For 90 years this magnificent log structure has provided the only shelter in this area of the park for literally thousands of people: from the miners who built it in 1896 to the endless stream of hikers, mountaineers and skiers who visit the park today.

The twenty-two by eighteen foot log cabin was built in 1896 by Heid and Dickinson of Slocan City for the Smuggler Mining Company. The Smuggler Mine, so named because it was thought to smuggle in on the end of the Molly Gibson Vein on Kokanee Creek, was situated on Smugglers Ridge some 500 ft above the cabin. But as there was no timber available there, the cabin was built lower down amongst the spruce and balsam trees. A pole and shake horse shelter was built near the mine. Before it collapsed about ten years ago, the few remaining shakes hanging by one nail would cry and whine in the wind before the last one was finally blown away, over the ridge onto the glacier.

Built on its bedrock bench, the cabin walls are of large logs interlocking at the corners. The insides were rough hewn with a broad axe and the bark outside remains. Whip sawn boards were used for the floor and the gable ends. The hand split shakes for the roof were brought up from a lower elevation as there is no cedar near the cabin.

Mining

The Smuggler Mining Company worked the mine for three years. In April of 1900 a local newspaper reported that the Smuggler, among a few other mines in the area, possessed undoubted mineral wealth. In May the Smuggler was sacking ore for shipment. By June the mine employed 23 men and by the end of the month the number was reported to be 62. In September, Oscar McMillan was commissioned to pack out the twenty tons of silver-rich ore via Lemon Pass and over Six Mile lakes to Nelson for smelting. During the snow free months the horses, using pack saddles, carried as much as 270 lbs. each. In the winter the ore was rawhided out, that is, wrapped in cowhides, skin side out, and dragged behind the horses in the snow. In deep snow, straw filled ore sacks were strapped to the horses hooves to act as snowshoes.

However, by the end of the month the bond on the Smuggler was called in. In the resulting case of Greenlee versus Dickinson in Nelson the judge ruled that the net proceeds from the two hundred sacks of ore from the Smuggler were to go to the Bank of Montreal in payment of debts of both Dickinson and Greenlee. The 1928 mining records show a shipment of four tons of ore from the Smuggler, running at 276 oz. of silver to the ton.

Also in 1900, Clare Tipping of Slocan City staked the Snow Storm or Slocan Chief (from which the cabin gets its name) not far from the cabin to the south. The remains of the tunnel can still be seen today. Mining records show o total of sixteen tons of ore running at 144 oz. of silver to the ton were shipped from this mine in 1901, 1923 and 1924. Since the lost shipment from the Smuggler in 1928 there are no more records of any ore being shipped from these mines.

Recreation

The Kokanee Mountaineering Club (not to be confused with the Kootenay Mountaineering Club of today) was formed in 1916, and used the Slocan Chief Cabin as headquarters for their annual summer camps. These were obviously fairly large camps. Thirty-eight names for the 1925 camp are inscribed on a board and nailed to the wall above the east door.

At that time there was another cabin near the Chief also built by Heid and Dickinson for the Smuggler Mining Company. This cabin was later demolished by an avalanche and no sign of it remains today. At this time the Slocan Chief was well equipped with bunks, cooking utensils and furniture. The gear, food and cook were taken in by Clare Tipping and his horses from the Joker Mill site the day before.

Freda Hume, a charter member of the Club, wrote in 1922 of catching the 6:30 a.m. ferry from Nelson and travelling by Jitney (Model A Ford) twelve miles along the North Shore and, if the road permitted, five miles up the Kokanee Creek Road.

From there it would be a thirteen mile hike to the cabin. At the Molly Gibson Mine, twelve miles up the road, they would wait for the hardy souls who had taken the steamer from Nelson to Kokanee Landing and walked all the way up the road. Freda wrote of the difficulties of picking their way across the rock slide on the west side of Kokanee Lake: the trail was not built until the thirties. It was this slide that necessitated the pack train going in by a different route.

The main purpose of this trip was the official opening of the park for which the club had been campaigning for several years. At the park boundary on the Kokanee Creek Road on August 22, 1922, Kokanee Glacier Park was officially designated as a Class A park in a short speech by the incumbent MLA Mr. K. Campbell. Kokanee Glacier Park encloses an area ten miles square. Within these boundaries are several glaciers, the six mile square Kokanee Glacier being the largest. Over thirty mountain lakes above the six thousand foot level of which the Joker Lakes, or Green Lakes as they were called, are the most spectacular.

The 1922 camp consisted of 23 people, 5 of whom were women; this was only the second year that women had been allowed on the trip. Fortunately, the five women who had been included on trail on the 1921 trip (of whom Freda was one) had proved themselves capable of enduring these mountain adventures.

On arrival at the cabin, Freda described how the men cut boughs for the beds, taking care to take only one or two branches from each tree. They put up the tents for the women and chose their own bunks In the cabin.

Class A parks are exempt from logging and mining. However, in 1964 Kokanee Glacier Park was demoted to Class B to allow a company to mine the Molly Gibson Vein. Nothing came of this venture and except for the Scranton Mine, which is right on the edge of the park boundary, no more mines have operated within the park boundaries. An area which includes Kokanee Glacier, Kokanee Lake, Joker Lakes and the cabin plateau has been designated as the heart area of the park and is exempt from mining or logging.

Fire

In 1932 a fire broke out near Keene and Garland Lakes. John Applewaite and Rex Taylor of the Forest Service were sent in up Kokanee Creek to fight the fire. In a letter to Helen Butting, John Applewaite writes: "We soon realized there was nothing we could do to put out such a large burning area. We decided to go to the cabin and see If we could save that. We cut a fire guard round it and by taking turns sleeping we were able to extinguish all the burning fragments as they fell and save the cabin."

"During this time," they said, "our oasis became a sanctuary for many animals and birds. We saw bears, birds, marten, marmots and pikas, some of which were badly scorched, standing around together. Normally these animals would be preying on each other, but in this situation they kept to themselves, licking their wounds and resting. As the inferno died down they wandered off to Enterprise Pass where the fire had burned itself out.",

Vandalism

The dirty thirties saw abuse and destruction of the cabin. The Mountaineering Club was not using it any more, and no mining was going on. People using the cabin at this time used the furniture and floor for firewood, and broke dishes and the windows. Now the porcupines could come in and out and add to the destruction.

Spyglass Roderick MacLeod

Spyglass Roderick MacLeod, so named because of his association with the Spyglass Mining Company which held claims on Poplar Creek in the Lardeau. For the six years up to 1945, MacLeod made the cabin his headquarters while working the claims he had preempted from Harry Reichart, the Lone Dutchman.

MacLeod did much towards restoring the cabin, replacing the floor. bringing up a new stove - by pack horse from the Joker Mill Site—replacing the windows and generally making it habitable once more. Gladys Barker, MacLeod’s daughter, relates that Annie the horse always made a fuss when she come to one particular place on the trail—a short switchback on bedrock. It became known as Annie’s Corner, Anyone familiar with the trail will recognize the spot.

After her father’s death in 1945, for the next fifteen years to 1960, Gladys Barker and her family spent their holidays at the cabin, doing the necessary work on the claims to keep them in good standing. Besides the annual clean up of other people’s mess that they were faced with each summer, they patched the now leaking roof with roofing paper and kept the cabin in as good shape in the short time they were there each year. If it had not been for the care the Barkers gave the cabin these fifteen years it is doubtful that it would have survived.

Renovations

By 1961, with no one giving the cabin any attention any more, it was in a sad state of disrepair. The original shakes of 1896 were paper thin and easily blown off, the roofing put on by the Barkers was peeling off, windows were boarded up, floor boards were rotting: the cook stove was rusting away and there were few areas in the cabin free from drips.

At this point much to the consternation of a few dedicated users of the cabin, the Parks Branch, after cursory examination of the cabin one Sunday afternoon in July 1962, decided that it should be burned down. The Slocan Chieftains, as they called themselves, who were already planning renovations to the cabin, did not give up. Their spokesman Michael Stewart of Nelson, after several meetings with the powers that were, persuaded the Parks Branch to let his group go ahead with their plans. They would do the work and solicit funds. The Parks Branch gave their blessing and agreed to provide some monetary help.

During August and September 1962, under the leadership and organization of Michael Stewart and Helen Butling, six weekend work parties were held.

An average of fifteen people would meet for supper in Kaslo before driving the then hazardous road to the Joker Mill Site twenty miles from Kaslo. From there it was a flashlight hike to the cabin. This is by far the shortest but steepest route to the cabin, however, doing it at night it is not so noticeable, unless one happens to look up and see the winding lights high up on the hill. Sometimes the hike was made in pouring rain, other times under a starlit sky.

In those days the cabin was well equipped with dishes, etc., and it was safe to leave sleeping bags and foamies from week to week, but besides food, the packs were always filled with nails, tools or even panes of glass.

Though people worked hard, these were also fun weekends; for the 1962 work parties people paid twenty-five cents a meal and Helen Butling saw to it that the food was of the best. In fact one young engineer from the Cominco Staff House in Trail was heard to remark that the Slocan Chief Cabin was renovated due to the indifferent food at the staff house. From one week to the next the young men looked forward to the superb Saturday night standing roast beef and lemon pie dinner. Helen also baked bread, her excuse being that she liked baking in a wood stove.

At this time mice were a real problem; there were dozens of them running over the faces of the cabin occupants at night. There were droppings all over the tables and any available food was nibbled. In desperation the drowning in the bucket method was used. It could be left from week to week and would catch an average of twenty-five mice a week.

Art Waters of Waters Construction Company gave of his time and expertise to supervise the work. At the end of the six weeks the cabin had a magnificent new shake roof, two new windows in the gable ends, which gave a lot more light in the cabin. Three broken windows were replaced, a heater, a good cookstove, a woodshed and new foundation logs with cement work and rocks to keep the porcupines out were all part of the improvements.

Donations came from the Interior Breweries of Nelson (who picture the Haystack on the Kokanee Beer Bottle), Ross Fleming of Nelson, J. Oliver of Gray Creek, and Mr. and Mrs. Dave Abbey of Kaslo, not to mention the many man hours donated by those on the work parties.

In 1963 there was $350 in the Slocan Chieftains account, money donated by two American Climbing Clubs that spent their 1962 holidays in the park, using the cabin as their headquarters. With this money and another series of work parties during the summer at 1964, the floor was replaced and a ceiling installed to create an upstairs sleeping area. In that same year cables were stretched between the walls to compensate for having moved the rafters up to accommodate the upstairs sleeping area.

Ski Training Camps

For four years to 1970 the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) held a series of training camps through July and August, putting up tent platforms near the cabin and using a permanent patch of snow below the glacier as a training slope. The cabin was used for slide shows and lectures.

During this time grizzly bears were a problem, invading the cook tent and on one occasion breaking a window in the cabin. The game warden and Park Ranger were of the opinion that poor garbage disposal was at the root of the problem. This generated a good deal of argument both defending and attacking the CASA. However, when the camps terminated in 1970 to relocate at Whistler Mountain, bear problems ceased while during their four years occupancy it had been deemed necessary to shoot five camp-happy grizzlies for safety’s sake.

Ski Touring

As early as 1962 groups were using the cabin for winter ski touring. A small party flew in to spend Christmas there that year, skiing out by way of Kokanee Creek.

The University of British Columbia Varsity Outdoor Club, starting in 1963, still organizes a winter trip to the cabin during the week between Christmas and New Year.

Since 1975 when the Alpine Club of Canada held a two week ski trip at the cabin, winter use has increased. The cabin is solidly booked from Christmas to May.

The ski mountaineers taking part in these camps come from all over the world and are a far cry from the average downhill skier. They are willing to spend all day pushing their skis uphill, not only for the pleasure of the ski down but also for the delight of being in the mountains. For the twelve or so skiers attending these camps it is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. After sharing the chores and snores, enjoying the leisurely suppers and social evenings, they find a rapport generated that belongs to that week alone.

Maintenance

For ten years after the final renovation in 1964, the Kootenay Mountaineering Club held annual fall work parties at the cabin, giving it a good cleaning, iron oiling the floor, doing the necessary maintenance and restocking the woodshed. Like the original work parties. these were fun weekends with the same roast beef and lemon pie dinner (the price had now gone up to fifty cents a meal). As the last person iron oiled himself out the door, the cabin seemed to glow with pride at being restored to such mint condition.

Since 1974, the Parks Branch has looked after the cabin. adding a cupboard, sink unit and drain as well as some structural reinforcement for the walls and gable ends.

To conserve wood, the cookstove and heater were removed and a large exchange type heater installed in the middle of the cabin.

As all the available dead wood near the cabin has long since been used up, during the summer dead snags are flown in from the surrounding area, bucked up and stored in a shed near the cabin where they are available to be carried over to the woodshed for splitting. Woe betide the group that does not leave at least a day’s supply of kindling and split wood in the cabin and a woodshed full of wood. Hopefully, the previous group has done the same.

In 1969, the Parks Branch completed the building of an insulated A-frame cabin on Kalmia Lake not far from the cabin. With the number of visitors increasing each summer it was now necessary to have a resident ranger in the area for the summer months. A limit of twenty was put on the cabin. Signs to that effect are posted at the road heads advising people to bring tents, etc. The ranger collects the cabin fees and sees that people only camp in the designated areas.

In1983, as a result of the dramatic increase in winter use of the cabin, a volunteer custodian was installed in the ranger cabin, from November to April. Complete with a radio supplied by Okanagan Helicopters and a weather station, communication was established on a daily basis.

Future of the Cabin

Up until 1983, the future of the cabin was uncertain. The Parks Branch was undecided as to whether it should be abandoned and more efficient cabin built nearby, or the money spent on the Slocan Chief to make it suitable for winter use. In the fall of 1983, the latter plan won out, and a start was made by paneling the downstairs with white pine. This not only warmed up and lightened the cabin, but also cut down on the wood consumption. Since then the stairway has been closed in.

Epilogue

In 1996, the Slocan Chief Cabin celebrated its ninetieth birthday, and has proved its worth as a year round use facility.

It has survived many things: an avalanche that destroyed a cabin less than a hundred yards away, a fire that blackened the land, and vandalism in the thirties. It has served as a base for two mines, two mountaineering clubs, and a skiers training camp. It has twice not been considered worthy of restoration, but restored it has been. It has stood on its bedrock bench for ninety years; the engineers have pronounced it a sound structure. May it be well cared for and stand forever.

Please note:
This article was written over 10 years ago. Some information, such as the condition of access roads, trails, the cabin and the administration of the winter program have changed since. Please refer to the respective individual pages for the latest information.

This page was last updated: 11/04/04 by [Author].