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Back to the Future.............

Cultural Strategic Development Funding Approved
The Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation has recently approved a funding request by the Lake of the Woods Historical Society for $17,500.00 to continue a project that started in 1996. Professor William Thomson of the University of Manitoba School of Architecture co-ordinated a project in co-operation with the Lake of the Woods Historical Society in which 110 residential properties were identified, photographed, analyzed and documented by student of the School of Architecture. The goal was both to develop a catalogue of residential types which had developed over time in the Kenora area and subsequently identify the most suitable examples in each category. These examples would be “Recognized” ( as there are no municipal bylaws to designate and protect historically significant buildings or sites) by the Lake of the Woods Historical Society, and the owners presented with a plaque which they could choose to mount on the exterior of their building. They will also receive the research documentation on their property outlining its historical significance to the area. Any historic photos available will also be included.

In the process of educating ourselves, as a Historical Society, we are also mandated to educate the community. The funding received recently will allow the Society and its partners, the University of Manitoba and Voyageur Net Inc. to continue the research and advance the number of buildings documented which will also include institutional, public and commercial properties. Students from the School of Architecture, under the direction of Professor William Thomson and Society Past Chair David Nelson, will return to Kenora to photograph, research and document additional field information. A data base template initially developed in FilemakerPro by Michelle Hando (a 1997 summer student working for the Lake of the Woods Historical Society) for the Society’s photographic archival will be used as the data base form for the Residential, Commercial and Public Buildings files. An image map of downtown Kenora will be developed containing data base information and pictorial information of both its present condition and its historic appearance through photos provided by the Lake of the Woods Museum.

The community will have full access to this information resource through the Lake of the Woods Historical Society Web site (www.netv.ca/history) and in written form at a later date through the Society’s Office, Lake of the Woods Museum, local and school libraries and municipal offices.

The project will also include the development of Corporate Sponsorships on two levels. Firstly, local corporate sponsorship will be sought to allow for the publication of archival and research materials. These sponsorships will allow for the continuation of the Web site, provide for its growth and development with further research. The second level will seek the establishment of a Corporate Endowment or Trust Fund by a corporation with historic links to the Mather-Walls House such as the Lake of the Woods Milling Company. This Endowment or Trust Fund would be utilised for the upkeep and maintenance of the Historic 1889 Mather-Walls House and to provide for the acquisition of significant archives and artifacts. The enthusiasm and support from Jamie Boulton, local Consultant with the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation for this and other Lake of the Woods Historical Society projects has been instrumental in achieving these milestones. Fred Cane, a Consultant with the Ontario Heritage Foundation has also contributed significantly to the development of the data base structure to ensure that our product is consistant with the province wide Heritage Building Database being developed. As our project is advancing so thoroughly and quickly, the Society’s database may be used a model for others throughout the province.