Description of Historic Place

The Saddle Horse Barn at the Bar U Ranch is composed of two components, the original one-storey log building and a light-frame south addition, both with gable roofs and dormer windows. The walls are constructed of round logs with squared dovetail-notched corners with the side walls constructed of vertical connector posts to link abutting horizontal logs. The roof is built with pole rafters supported at mid-span by heavy timber beams, and is clad with vertical shiplap under milled cedar shingles while the addition's roof is constructed with a light timber frame and sheathed with horizontal shiplap and battens under milled cedar shingles. The interior plan is a conventional, center-hall plan, with stalls running along both sides and an upper loft area used for hay storage. A window and entrance door is located at each end, while a third door opens onto the paddock on the western side.
The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Saddle Horse Barn is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Bar U Ranch complex is one of the best examples of the development of the ranching industry in Alberta and its importance in the development of Canada. The Saddle Horse barn is associated with this development. Its structure is one of the earliest buildings constructed on the site and has been an important structure at the Bar U since the early days of the Ranch. The Saddle Horse Barn is also associated with George Lane, a prominent Alberta cattleman, hired at the Bar U in 1884 to serve as the ranch foreman and ran the ranch between 1902 and 1925. The building is also associated with Patrick Burns who purchased the Bar U in 1927 to add to his vast cattle empire. Recognized as the kingpin of the meat processing industry in western Canada during the mid-1920's, Burns has been designated a person of national significance.

Architectural Value
The Saddle Horse Barn is a simple, function-oriented design of log construction and has a strong aesthetic impact due to its scale, massing and patina. It is an excellent example of its type, and served to define this type of working building on a foothills ranch.

Environmental Value
The Saddle Horse Barn is part of a cohesive complex of buildings arranged to great functional effect and reinforces the present visual character of the Bar U Ranch. A major building on site, the structure is associated with the corral to its west and is located within the community center. It is a component of the historical grouping that acted as the engine of the overall ranch operation. The grouping strongly complements the Pekisko Creek valley grassland and valley ridge on which it is located. The Saddle Horse Barn also contributes to the landmark value of the complex as a component of the collection of pre-1927 buildings.

Sources:
Edward Mills, Historic Bar U Ranch Headquarters, Longview, Alberta, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 92-017.

Saddle Horse Barn (Building 16), Bar U Ranch, Longview, Alberta. Heritage Character Statement 92-017.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character defining elements of the Saddle Horse Barn should be respected, for example:

Its excellent simple, function-oriented design, log construction, techniques and materials with a strong aesthetic impact due to its scale, massing, and craftsmanship as manifested in:
-Its log building with gable roof and cladding.
-Its light-frame addition with gable roof and cladding.
-Its walls of round logs with squared dovetail-corners.
-Its walls constructed of vertical connector posts and horizontal logs.
-Its dormer windows.
-Its center-hall plan.
-Its colour scheme.
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The manner in which the Saddle Horse Barn, as part of a cohesive complex of buildings, contributes to the present visual character of the Bar U Ranch.