...a plain, rectangular, gable-roofed block of two main storeys and an attic having a symmetrical plan in which a single large room is placed on either side of a central staircase on each floor. More accommodation is sometimes obtained by the addition of a basement, and by increasing the width of the building so that two rooms instead of one, can be placed on each side of the stair. The symmetry of the plan is clearly reflected in the elevations, particularly in the main front, where the windows are almost always regularly disposed about a central entrance - doorway at principal floor level. In smaller houses kitchen and parlour usually occupy the ground floor'. with perhaps one other living-room and bedrooms above, but where there is a service basement as many as three or four principal rooms may be grouped on the two main floors.

What became unique to the H.B.C. when this, as well as the "colombage" style were imported into the northwest, were the roof styles and preference in window construction. Hip or gable roofs were preferred to the pavilion roof, and whereas the French-Canadians were prone to use casement windows, the British preference was for sash windows. 197 Other stylistic variations occurred as a result of geographical location, but it is significant to note that it was this basic style which was used across Canada. However, as one authority has pointed out, it was not a national style, but rather a style associated with the fur trade era. 198

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For the first few years of Fort Victoria's existence, the house and store appear to have been the only permanent buildings on the site. The scant references to the former have already been cited and unfortunately, those dealing with the latter, are equally vague and difficult to interpret. On April 2, 1866, Philip Tait, the second Clerk at Fort Victoria, was requested to "...do what you can about getting on with the Store,"199 but how quickly he progressed remains unknown. Later that month, April 20, Chief Factor W. J. Christie suggested that the building be shingled, but presumably he intended that this should be done at a later date for the store could hardly have been completed in eighteen days. 200 In fact, from the remaining references, a completion date of either late '66 or early '67 recommends itself. In October 1866, Christie forwarded to Victoria the aforementioned shingles, and on December 31, 1866, it was noted that John Nicol, a blacksmith at Fort Edmonton, had been making handles for the store doors. 201 An additional entry in the Fort Edmonton Journal noted that hinges for the store shutter were being assembled as late as September 1869. 202

The only other building which is mentioned in the pre-1870 correspondence is the "cart room", said to have been completed in July 1868. 203 The location and nature of the structure, however, remain unknown, for there is but this one historical reference. Conceivably, it is a reference to the stable which appears in Hardisty's 1874 drawing.

Hardisty's ground plan of Fort Victoria, dated August 10, 1874, is the most accurate description available of the fort complex prior to its initial closure in 1883 (see Figure 8). The circumstances surrounding the survey are unclear, but presumably it was appended to the report he submitted to Chief Commissioner J. A. Grahame in June 1875. 204 Whatever the reason, we now find that the Hudson's Bay Company post consisted of seven buildings: the Clerk's quarters, stable, trading shop/press room, dairy, general store/provision store, men's house, and a combined blacksmith's forge and men's house. The complex was also surrounded by some form of defensive barrier, belatedly referred to as a palisade.205 The final structure which appears to have been connected with Fort Victoria at this time is a grist mill said to have been completed in the fall of 1873. It was located approximately 1-1, miles northeast of the fort on Smoky Lake Creek and was intended to serve as an inducement to (start of page 93) the settlers to grow wheat and barley. 206 In 1884, Tom Kains undertook a survey of the townships west of the fourth initial meridian. The written outlines of his report are rather vague and deal mostly with the vegetation and soil types present in the area. "The country north of the river is dense bush . . . and the . . . soil, second class." 207 The diagramatic outlines, however, are more detailed and provide us with a second relatively accurate ground plan for the H.B.C. fort at Victoria (see Figure 10 and Appendix One). Measuring from corner to corner, Kains noted that the south and north walls of the palisade were approximately 222 feet long, and the west and east-walls 135 feet and 139 feet respectively. He did not give the dimensions of the various buildings, although their number and location correspond closely to Hardisty's drawing. They are dissimilar only in that the stable does not appear in Kains' outline, and a structure of some sort (presumably a kitchen) was attached to the north wall of the Clerk's quarters. What appear to be bastions are also evident in the latter sketch. They were located on the southwest and southeast corners of the palisade. 208 Kains omitted to give their dimensions and there is no additional historical evidence to enlighten us on this particular point. 209

Two years after Fort Victoria was opened for the second time, Clerk Francis D. Wilson wrote that "On . . . taking charge of the post last spring [18881, the buildings were in a very bad condition owing to the post having been abandoned for some years previous, nothing having been done to them last outfit." 210 He remarked further that repairs and improvements had been executed, although not all were of a strictly permanent nature. Unfortunately, his letter is lacking any structural de- tails and it is only in September 1889 that we learn that repairs to the Clerk's quarters constituted the bulk of the previous year's renovations. The September inspection report of E. K. Beeston is the most detailed statement available on the buildings at Fort Victoria: 211

1. Dwelling House, 37 x 24, 1.1-2 storey, shingle roof, lined inside, with kitchen, 23 x 11 attached. A very good building, renovated in 1888.

2.Store, 40 x 24, log, P-, storey, shingle roof, roof being re- newed at time of Inspection, wants a few boards to complete lining, in all other respects a very good building.

3.Warehouse, 40 x 24, log, shingle roof, shingles in bad order; in all other respects a good building. Not of much service,

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except when Lac la Biche goods are received by steamer, and need storing.

4.Men's House, 24 x 16, log, shingle roof, a sufficiently good building.

5. Stable, 25 x 21, log, a good building.

The buildings are convenient for the Steamboat Landing, and near to the principal part of the settlement. The Fort enclosure is about 12- acre, and the Field about 5-1-2 acres; are surrounded with Post and Rail fence, put up in 1888 at a cost of $68.60. The buildings are more than sufficient for the present trade, but in all respects suitable.

A quick perusal of the ground plan that accompanied Beeston's report indicates that there were two major changes in the configuration of the fort buildings since Hardisty's visit in 1874, namely, a stable had replaced the blacksmith's forge/men's house to the east of the Clerk's quarters, and the dairy had been removed from the site (see Figure 11).212 Presumably, the latter was a casualty of the 1888-1889 renovation program. Accurate measurements are also lacking for the newly built post and rail fence, although the compound appears to be square, rather than rectangular as Hardisty had indicated. 213

The final report on the condition of the buildings at Fort Victoria was submitted in 1895 (see Figure 12). In it were documented several changes, the most significant being the construction of a new livery and the three-fold increase in land under fence. 214

No. 1.Dwelling House with lean to kitchen, log, shingle roof, 2 storeys, 24 x 38 feet, in good repair. 

No. 2.Saleshop, log, shingle roof, I storey, 24 x 38, in good repair. 

No. 3.Warehouse, log, shingle roof, 1 storey, old 24 x 38 feet, roof leaky, in fair order, foundation not very good. 

No. 4. Men's House, log, in fair order, roof leaky, 16 x 24 feet. 

No. 5. Stable, log, in fair order, 25 x 26 feet. 

No. 6. Well. 61-2 acres Land enclosed partly cultivated as garden. 15 acres Land under fence.

The years 1896-1897 are singularly devoid of references concerning the buildings at Fort Victoria. It is assumed, therefore, that when the post was abandoned during Outfit 1897, the dwellings were in a condition similar to that outlined in '95.

The history of the buildings following 1897 is somewhat unclear. The Clerk's quarters was used as a private residence well into the mid- 

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20th century, whence it was purchased by the Alberta Government (1960). The trading shop was renovated and used as a store until the mid '20s when it was cut in half and removed from the site. Presumably, the remaining buildings suffered the same or a similar fate.

Continue to Chapter VII
Return to the Index of Les Hurt's Occasional Paper 7
Return to the Fur Trade Index
Or Return to the Smoky Lake History Archive

 Used with permission of Les Hurt and Alberta Community Development.