Old Log Church Museum/Yukon Church Heritage Society
Corner of Elliott St & 3rd Ave
Whitehorse, Yukon

Mailing Address:
Old Log Church Museum/Yukon Church Heritage Society
Box 31461
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 6K8
Telephone (867) 668-2555
Fax (867) 667-6258
Email: logchurch@yknet.yk.ca

Hours of Operation:
Mid May to Labour Day
Daily 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

In 1900, when the small town of "White Horse" was under development, Anglican missionary William Carpenter Bompas was concerned about the lack of a place of worship for the new community. He called on Rev. R. J. Bowen who had been ministering to the gold seekers and native populations at Forty Mile and Dawson City, to go to Whitehorse to rectify the situation.

After a short sojourn in England to allow him time to recuperate from a bout with typhoid fever, Bowen and his wife Susan arrived in Whitehorse in August 1900. The following day they set to work building a temporary church in two tents on the lot which is now Bishop Stringer Park, between the old and new Christ Church cathedrals. One tent served as a church while the other served as a rectory. With community help, construction on a permanent log church began immediately and was completed in October with the first service held on Sunday October 7th. A section of the church was partitioned and used as living quarters for the Bowen family until the log rectory was complete in the spring of 1901.

In August 1953, the log church became the cathedral of the Diocese of Yukon when the See was moved from Dawson City to Whitehorse. Soon the church proved to be too small for the growing congregation and in 1960, the new Christ Church Cathedral was constructed providing more space for parish activities.

In 1978 the Government of Yukon recognized the historic value of the buildings and designated the Old Log Church and Rectory as a Territorial Historic Site. Under the stewardship of the Yukon Church Heritage Society, the Old Log Church serves as a museum and exhibits material pertaining to the church history in the Yukon. The museum's collection consists of ethnographic and whaling artifacts, decorative arts, ecclesiastical vestments, hangings, and furnishings from the missions and churches within the boundaries of the Anglican Diocese of Yukon.

For more information about our collections visit Artefacts Canada.