Log buildings in southern British Columbia : pioneer adaptation to housing need in the Kettle Valley and Chilcotin
Date
1980
Authors
Bunney, Gary Lee
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Rural building types have been used as cultural indicators in many other studies. This study has examined log buildings as indicators of settlement during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the Kettle Valley and Chilcotin regions of British Columbia. This study uses a methodology which exhaustively sampled the log buildings of each study area and recorded the data on photographs and a detailed checklist. An analysis of the data indicated that within each study area the form and construction methodologies showed consistent similarities which may be attributed to the development of local log building construction practices. The log buildings of the Kettle Valley and Chilcotin, when considered together, indicated certain similarities in building type, corner notch type, roofing, and proportional shape which may signify province-wide similarities in log building construction methods. The buildings of each study area had certain specific differences, which may be attributed to local design and personal initiative. This study has drawn qualitative conclusions dealing with form, function, style, the effects of the ethnicity of log buildings, the effects of available time, insight into the builder's personality, and technological regression. Concluding statements and suggestions for further research have been offered.