Where in the world can you find a National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an International Peace Park, and a Biosphere Reserve all rolled into one? At Waterton Lakes National Park, the only place on earth endowed with all four titles.
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Waterton Lakes National Park.
The Waterton Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment is housed in a building which has served the detachment since the late 1920s, the only detachment building to have been built in the park. The rustic Tudor styled building was brought to completion in 1928 and remains in use to this day. A
Recognized Federal Heritage Building, the building was designed by then National Parks Branch head W.D. Cromarty. This is the oldest RCMP building still in use in the National Parks.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was formed in 1920 by the merger of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, founded in 1873, with the Dominion Police, founded in 1868. The former was originally named the North-West Mounted Police and was given the
Royal prefix by King Edward VII in 1904. The original nationally recognized Red Serge uniform is still worn with pride today.
As Canada's national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is primarily responsible for enforcing federal laws throughout Canada while general law and order including the enforcement of the Criminal Code and applicable provincial legislation is constitutionally the responsibility of the provinces and territories.
RCMP Detachment Building
Recognized Federal Heritage Building
Description of Historic Place
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Detachment Building is a one-and-a-half storey, hipped roof building in a rustic style and embellished with Tudor details. Located in the Waterton townsite on a spacious corner lot, it is distinguished by its prominent gable and massive fieldstone chimney. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The RCMP Detachment Building is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
The RCMP Detachment Building is directly associated with the RCMP’s role of law enforcement in the National Parks. It depicts the symbolic importance of the Mounted Police and helped to reinforce their popular image within Canada and the National Parks. The Detachment Building also illustrates the maturation of Waterton Lakes National Parks as its construction reflects that permanent facilities were justifiable and necessary within the park.
Architectural Value
The RCMP Detachment Building is one of the first and a very good example of a rustic architectural style based on a Tudor-Revival motif, adopted by the National Parks system in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It exhibits very good quality craftsmanship and materials. The plans were designed by the National Parks Branch headed by W.D. Cromarty who was a direct contributor to the development of Waterton Lakes and this distinctive phase of architecture within the Park.
The Environmental Value
The Detachment Building along with the garage is situated on a prominent and elevated site, spread over three spacious lots. The relationship with the building to its site remains unchanged. The stone wall in the front and the landscaping at the side and the rear of the building are maintained in a natural state to enhance its picturesque appearance. The building’s prominent site makes it a regional landmark and its natural building materials and design reinforce the rustic character of its mountain park setting.
Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements of the RCMP Detachment Building should be respected, for example:
Its rustic style with Tudor-Revival motifs and very good quality craftsmanship and materials as for example:
Its asymmetrical assemblage of rough stone, stucco, leaded windows, half-timbering, imposing wood-shingled roofs, prominent gables and massive fieldstone chimney.
Its frame construction.
The manner in which the RCMP Detachment Building reinforces the rustic character of its mountain park setting and is a regional landmark within Waterton Lakes as evidenced in:
Its unchanged historical relationship to the site.
Its stone wall, and conspicuous landscaping, which contribute to its picturesque appearance.
Its prominent location on a spacious corner lot.
Manifest witnesses to the important role that the Mounted Police was beginning to play, the RCMP detachment building and garage were constructed in 1927 and 1928. Modified very little over the years, they are the oldest and largest buildings still used by the RCMP in the national parks.
From Parks Canada
