Yukon First Nations trained in log building preservation

The Yukon government has invited representatives from the territory's First Nations to Fort Selkirk this week to learn how to preserve historic buildings.

The focus is on log structures: The old cabins, churches and trading posts scattered across the territory. Some have been designated as historic sites while many more have quietly fallen into disrepair and decay.

"We have lots of work to do on these sites," says Bruce Barrett who works with the Yukon government's historic sites unit.

"It's a challenge for a jurisdiction as small as ours to try to manage and preserve such far-flung and extensive historic resources."

Barrett says the goal is to teach First Nations' employees skills to look after historic sites that lie within settlement lands as well as sites that are jointly managed with the Yukon government. These include Fort Selkirk and Rampart House near Old Crow.

Derek Cooke is a heritage technician with the Ta'an Kwach'an Council. The First Nation is sending three people to this week's workshop.

"It's always important to develop the capacity for doing it, because people do need certain skills," he says.

Cooke says Ta'an Kwach'an hopes the training will foster a deeper appreciation of the First Nation's heritage resources.

"We do have on our traditional territory quite a number of extant built heritage sites, particularly in the Lake Laberge area," he says. "I think it's important for people to know the need to preserve a lot of those."

Cooke says the First Nation has already started work at the old Ta'an village site on Lake Laberge. This includes the restoration of legendary riverboat captain Frank Slim's cabin.

Barrett believes Yukon is doing a fairly good job at managing its major historic sites, but he admits there's only so much that can be preserved.

"There were many hundreds of log structures thrown up fairly hastily all over the Yukon territory," he says. "And they are biodegradable structures if there ever was such a thing."