General

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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Did you know?

Many of the properties in the Kenora area were originally gold claims— the properties on Hilly Lake were originally gold claims owned by inventor Thomas Edison