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In Plain Sight: The Land Registry Building
The Douglas Family Art Centre was created by constructing a new addition onto the building once known as the Kenora Land Registry Office.
The Forgotten Jewel of Lake of the Woods: Devil’s Gap Lodge
After its completion, the Canadian Pacific Railway wanted to take advantage of the beautiful lake and give it the recognition it deserved. It became clear by working together, Kenora and the C.P.R. could create a tourist destination.
Kenora’s First Rock Stars
Beginning in the 1870s the Geological Survey of Canada began working in this area, first to support the building of the railway and then mapping and searching for minerals. It was the geologists who contributed to this map that make it significant— these were Kenora’s first rock stars.
The Burley Mine
To the south and west of the still-visible slag pile of the former Sultana Mine is a small man-made island – The Burley Mine.
The Past is a Foreign Country
Braden Murray takes a look at the history of abandoned wedding traditions, and is reminded that the past is indeed a “foreign country.”
The Truth is Out There!
Seventy five years ago it was the summer of the flying saucer and the UFO. Aliens were among us! Or so it seemed.
Burning the Boathouses
In April of 1972, Kenora summer student, Gerry McMillan, was tasked with burning down the abandoned boathouses on the Kenora Harbourfront.
The Ballad of Sundin’s Scorpions
The Ballad of Sundin's ScorpionsThe Muse NewsletterVol. 32 No. 1 - Winter 2022 by Braden Murray Ninety years ago a hockey team from the depression relief highway construction camps electrified local crowds with a mix of rough-and-tumble hockey and...
Ka-BOOOM!
This article tells the story of two historical boats on Lake of the Woods – one that ended with a bang, and one that started with a bang!
Keewatin and the Deconstruction of J.S. Woodsworth
J.S. Woodsworth was a politician, labour leader, and founder of the CCF. It was during his time in Keewatin when he began to wrestle with the ideas that would inform his work for the rest of his life.
The Why of the Town’s Name Change
There is a local legend that Kenora changed its name from Rat Portage because a flour company didn’t want the word “rat” on their flour bag. I’m not convinced that’s the case.
The First Argyle
The Argyle was a ferry boat that provided ferry service between Keewatin, Norman, Coney Island and Rat Portage/Kenora from 1900 to 1936.
Thistles Presented with Loving Cups
After the Kenora Thistles hockey team won the Stanley Cup, there was celebration in Kenora and the team was presented with Loving Cups.
The Community Centre
Learn the history of the building of the Kenora Community Centre, now called the Kenora Recreation Centre.
The New Thistle Rink
One of the major touchstone events that helped bring Kenora into a new era after all the death and destruction of the 1910s was the construction of the new Thistle Rink.
The Hilliard House
In 1883, local hotelier Louis Hilliard opened the Hilliard House on the northeast corner of Main and Second Streets in Rat Portage (now Kenora). The following is the story of Hilliard’s fine establishment as recounted in newspapers of the day at three significant times in the building’s history.
The Hudson’s Bay Company in Rat Portage
The Hudson’s Bay Company established a location in Rat Portage (now Kenora) in 1837 and maintained a presence for nearly two hundred years.
First Plane Makes Trans-Canada Flight
On October 10, 1920, a crowd of hundreds gathered at the Kenora docks to witness a plane attempting the first Trans-Canada flight.
Building the Road to Save the Town
One hundred years ago this month, in March 1919, there was a vote in Kenora that fundamentally changed the look and feel of life in town. In the third week of March, the taxpayers of Kenora voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking on a massive public debt to build roads and sidewalks in town.
Central School Reminiscences
Look back at some memories of one of Kenora’s most memorable schools, Central School, through this collection of stories.
Blood on the Snow in Rat Portage
This is a true story of life and death in Rat Portage taken from contemporary accounts of a tragic event at the beginning of 1883.
Let Bisons be Bisons
On a cold winter day in 1979, an excavation crew began working on a project close to what is now the Kenora airport. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to unearth an archaeological discovery unlike anything this region had ever seen.
Summer at the Drive-In
The Drive-In Theatre — few places evoke such strong memories of summer evenings spent with family and friends. The Rabbit Lake Drive-In opened 65 years ago, at the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
The Bachelors’ Ball
A bachelors’ ball was a dance for single people to meet up and have a good time. In the spring and summer of 1909, 110 year ago this month, Kenora hosted not one but two bachelors’ balls.
A Day at the Lake
This is the story of when 5,000 people, over 10% of the population of Winnipeg at the time, made Rat Portage their destination for a day at the lake.
Spring Break-Up
The spring break-up of ice on Lake of the Woods has long been closely followed by residents. Besides the necessity of the opening of the lake for transportation and communication purposes, there naturally developed a competition to be the first boat to navigate through the ice floes in the early spring.
The Anglican Summer Camp Island
Anglican Summer Camp Island is located south of Crowe Island at the mouth of Keewatin Channel on Lake of the Woods.
Camp Stephens Celebrates 125 Years
2016 marks the 125th anniversary of Camp Stephens, a Lake of the Woods summer camp for youth and families operated by the YMCA/YWCA.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge
In March 1917, the Canadian Corps received orders to capture Vimy Ridge as part of a larger offensive in the Arras area.
Husky the Muskie
Everyone in Kenora knows about Husky the Muskie, but do you know the history of how our giant muskie statue came to be built and named?
Pack the Shovel: Four Frozen Swedes and the First Car Trip to Winnipeg
This is the story of four men who made the very first trip to Winnipeg by car in 1927, a full five years before the highway was built.
Polio in Kenora
During the summer of 1953, the last major polio epidemic swept through Kenora. Though it is a tragic story, it is also one of hope.
Historical Timeline
A brief overview of the history and major events taking place in Kenora and the surrounding Lake of the Woods area.
Kenora’s Annual Dog Derby
Read about the history of the Kenora’s Annual Dog Derby which was held semi-annually from April 1899-1932.
Teeing Off: Golf’s Beginnings in Kenora
In 1912, discussions go underway regarding the development of a golf course and club in Kenora. Learn the history of golf in Kenora.
Horse Racing On Lake of the Woods
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, it was not an uncommon sight to see horse and cutter races taking place on the frozen bays around Rat Portage.
The Thistle Hockey Team Wins the Stanley Cup
The Kenora Thistle hockey team was the smallest team to ever win the Stanley Cup. Read more about how the Thistles took home the cup!
The Gold Street Toboggan and Ski Slide
Tobogganing and skiing continue to be popular winter activities in Kenora today, but did you know Kenora once had large ski slides and jumps?
A Local Hero
We present to you this journalistic gem in the February 13, 1903 issue of the Rat Portage Miner about a coat thief and a local hero.
Christmas in Rat Portage
Christmas in Rat Portage was a community celebration. Perhaps the isolation, and the distance from extended families, was behind this tradition of the whole town gathering together.
Dear Mother: A Bride’s Letters Home
On December 31, 1912, Nellie Perry Winslow of Saco, Maine, married Joseph Rideout of Kenora, Ontario. The following are excerpts of letters written by Nellie to her mother describing her new life in Kenora during her first few months of marriage.
The Five Roses Cookbook
The Five Roses Cookbook: Being a Manual of Good Recipes was a compilation of almost 600 recipes carefully chosen from the contribution of over two thousand successful users of Five Roses flour throughout Canada and was issued by the Lake of the Woods Milling Company.
The Women of Kenora
For International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women-led organizations in Kenora’s history and their various contributions.
On Active Duty
Through their letters home, take a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of three Kenora soldiers serving overseas during various wars.
Where is the Real Massacre Island?
Tales of Massacre Island have been passed on through oral story-telling, but the facts became skewed. So where is the real Massacre Island?
Waiting for Break-up on Lake of the Woods
A collection of letters written by a mother to her family in 1966 as she waited, stranded at the cottage in spring, for the ice to break-up.
The Hudson’s Bay Company in Rat Portage
The Hudson's Bay Company in Rat Portage Lake of the Woods Museum NewsletterVol. 14 No. 2 - Spring 2004 by the Hudson's Bay Company Archives 1836. That is the earliest reference to a trading post near the site known as Portage du Rat or the rat carrying place....
McLeod Park
McLeod ParkLake of the Woods Museum NewsletterVol. 13 No. 3 - Fall 2003 by Lori Nelson There’s a small parcel of land situated between downtown Kenora and Tunnel Island that, in its history, mirrors a substantial part of the development of the entire area....
Farming on the Canadian Shield
Farming on the Canadian ShieldLOUIS HILLARD’S FINE FARM Rat Portage Miner and News – September 6, 1904 Excerpted from a letter written to the editor by a visitor to Mr. Hillard’s farm which was located in Jaffray, about 2 miles from downtown Rat Portage (now Kenora)....
Western Algoma Brick Co.
Western Algoma Brick Co. Lake of the Woods Museum NewsletterVol. 17 No. 2 - Spring 2007 On July 31, 1894, the local newspaper, The Semi-Weekly Record, made this pronouncement… “The wooden era of our town is at an end and we have entered upon the brick and stone...
The Prominent Business Houses of Rat Portage
The Prominent Business Houses of Rat Portage Lake of the Woods Museum NewsletterVol. 18 No. 4 - Fall 2008 In 1888, “The New West”, a publication from Winnipeg, Manitoba, published the following account entitled Prominent Business Houses of Rat Portage. QUEEN’S...
Rat Portage Becomes Kenora
Local legend has it that the town’s name was changed from Rat Portage to Kenora because the Maple Leaf Milling Company was reluctant to establish a mill here if it meant having to put the word rat on their flour bags. Adding credence to the story is that when the milling company did build here in 1905, Rat Portage was no longer. The town’s new name was Kenora.
The Struggle for Daylight Savings Time
Some sprang forward and others flatly refused to budge on May 1st, 1914 in the Town of Kenora during the region’s first Daylight Savings Time.
1900
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1900 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1901
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1901 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1902
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1902 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1903
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1903 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1907
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1907 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1908
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1908 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1909
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1909 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1910
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1910 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
The Kenricia Hotel
In 1907, Frank Newell was hired to design a hotel befitting the burgeoning tourist town of Kenora: The Tourist Hotel, later the Kenricia.
A Cornerstone of History: The Doner Block
The Doner Block is surely one of Kenora’s most handsome structures. On the exterior it has remained largely unchanged in its 95-year history.
Adventures…and Fun Unlimited on the Grace Anne II
In 1946, writer John Royle embarked on a memorable week aboard the Grace Anne II. In this account, he relates what he describes as a novel, unique, intriguing experience.
Building Stone Boats
In 1897, John William Stone travelled to Rat Portage and set up his business, the J.W. Stone Boat Manufacturing Company.
Did you know?
There are three Charles Adamson cenotaphs –