Part of our past and very much a part of our present
The Old Log Church
The Old Log Church. Photo: Government of Yukon

Built by Reverend Bowen in 1900, the Old Log Church has been a constant presence in Whitehorse. The building has been in continuous use for over 120 years, first as a church and community gathering space and now as a museum.

The Old Log Church Museum has a unique presence, as the building itself is an artifact. When people come to visit the museum, they are walking into a building that has welcomed “people from all walks of life, with a multitude of perspectives, for over 120 years,” said the director of the Old Log Church, Christine De Brabandere.

Step into the Old Log Church Museum and a sense of peace will greet you. The Old Log Church is primarily a museum, yet it does hold historic services in the summer. Preserved there is the atmosphere of spirit and peace. The Old Log Church and Rectory are among the oldest structures still standing in Whitehorse. Bishop William Carpenter Bompas (Rev. R.J. Bowen) had already constructed small log churches at Forty Mile and Dawson City. Bowen had the church built in just two months. The first service was held on October 7, 1900.

The church uses simple half-lap log construction. Subsequent additions show the growth and development of the Old Log Church through improved craftsmanship and the incorporation of traditional church design features such as the sanctuary, vestry and baptistery. Bowen came to the Yukon in 1895. He began his ministry for the Anglican Church in the North as the Bishop of the Diocese of Athabasca, in 1865. He came from England to minister in the wilderness with his wife, Selina. By 1891, their work had resulted in the appointment of William Bompas as the first Bishop of Selkirk, the district which encompassed the Yukon. His refusal to accept the rapidly deteriorating conditions of the First Nations of the Yukon, as white prospectors moved in, would eventually result in the arrival of the North-West Mounted Police in the territory.

Before the Old Log Church was built, the first church services in Whitehorse were held in a tent structure with the rector and his wife living in a tent. The log church was built by October 1900. During the winter of 1900, the forward portion, which now contains the chancel and sanctuary, was partitioned and used by the missionary and his wife as their living quarters until the completion of the rectory in 1901. The bell tower was originally separate from the church but, in 1910, the tower fell over in a storm and the bell was cracked. Although a new bell was placed atop the church, it was not enclosed until 1945.

The Old Log Church was also used by the congregation of St. Simon’s Church, for many years. In 1960, a new cathedral was built beside the Old Log Church. Two years later, the Old Log Church became a museum. Since 2014, it has been declared as a Yukon historic site and a historic site in the city of Whitehorse. Today, many artifacts that showcase Yukon history are showcased in the museum. Visitors can learn about life in the Yukon before the gold rush and also explore the art of the Vuntut Gwitchin and life in Old Crow, looking through the eyes of Beth-Anne and Rev. Kenah Exham who worked there in the 1960s. The museum holds over 4,500 artifacts and also preserves a big part of Yukon history.

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top