Trapper's Log Cabin

Trapper's Log Cabin. The Classic Alaskan Structure. , As miners, traders and prospectors slowly made their way into the interior of Alaska in the early 1900's, small trading posts and settlements soon began to appear. Both the Westerners and Athabascans used these villages. Cabin such as the one you see here could be built using only a saw and an axe., This cabin, constructed in 1985, was the first structure built here in the Chena Indian Village and was done so by using only materials found right here at this site. That list includes logs for the structure, moss to chink the walls, and bark and sod for the roof. Originally, the roofs of cabins would be composed of young spruce poles, peeled and laid flat across the top. Sheets of peeled bark were then laid flat, overlapping each other much like shingles, from the eave up to the ridge., In the absence of nails, the bark was weighted down by placing three to six inches of soil on top. This also added a valuable layer of insulation. As vegetation began to grow, the root system held the roof together and kept the Athabascans warm and protected in harsh winters. In the summer the sod roof would retain rainwater helping to keep the cabin cool., Inside the cabin you will find a mixture of natural and man-made elements. You may notice the bed made from young spruce poles laid loose across the frame to act as springs. The "spring poles" were then covered with spruce boughs and furs, which made for a surprisingly comfortable bed. An old 55-gallon fuel drum has been converted to a stove. It was common to make use of everything that arrived from the outside world; for example, old Blazo fuel boxes were often saved and used to make shelves or cabinets. You may also notice a trap door in the floor of the cabin. This was used to access a makeshift root cellar that served as a natural cooler for vegetables and other foods., Over time, and due to permafrost issues, cabins would often settle causing them to appear distorted and making the floors very uneven inside. Residents of these cabins would often compensate for the shifting by simply cutting off chair, table and bed legs to level out the furniture's surfaces., Many of the villages in Alaska are located along the Tanana, Yukon or Kusko[k]wim Rivers, which created an unpredictable risk each spring and summer. Spring flooding, heavy summer rains, significant glacial melt and bank erosion were all very dangerous conditions that could destroy a cabin or even a whole village in no time. This meant cabins and other structures were often moved to various locations in camp to keep them out of danger's path., [Photo caption reads] "Old Fred-September 14, 1922"