Calgary Historical Sites
Hunt House
Next to the Deane House sits a small log cabin that's older than the city itself; Calgary wasn't incorporated as a town until 1884. Alberta dates the Hunt House to about 1876 to 1881, and its register calls it Calgary's oldest building still on its original site. The province made it a Provincial Historic Resource in 1978.
- Built
- About 1876–1881
- Community
- Inglewood
- Designation
- Provincial Historic Resource
- Today
- Historic building
Who Built It and Why
The cabin belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company post that went up on the east bank of the Elbow soon after Fort Calgary was built in 1875. The province says it likely served as a home for a freighter or interpreter working for the company. The Confluence describes it as most likely the work of Métis builders, who blended European and Indigenous building methods.
Details Worth Knowing
- It's one of only three HBC buildings still standing in Alberta
- The logs are joined with dovetail corners, though shingles now cover them
- Inside, the register lists a partial cellar and a "barber pole" post holding up the cellar roof
Getting There
Walk or bike the river pathways, or come along 9 Avenue SE. I'd combine it with a stop at the Deane House next door and a walk over to The Confluence across the river.
Communities Close By
Communities around Hunt House
The residential communities closest to it.