The KEYSTONE COPS in KENORA.

Or

The Ontario – Manitoba Boundary War 1881 – 84

WHY I am interested ?

First, it is an odd,in part funny,and overlooked event in Canadian History which involves my hometown area.

Second, notwithstanding the keystone cops aspects of it, it provides the factual basis for one of the seminal events in the definition or construction of our constitution. Although seemingly a matter of geography and the interpretation of treaties, it was in reality a profound political and constitutional dispute between Sir John A Macdonald, as prime minister of Canada and his former law student Oliver Mowat, the premier of Ontario. Mowat was self cast as the protector and promoter of provincial rights as against the power of the strong central government promoted by MacDonald and which most people believed had been incorporated into the BNA. The legal precedent which arose out of this conflict was a powerful precedent in the battle for provincial rights.

What have we to read?

1.The full flavour of the odd events are well presented in a Grade 13 paper prepared by Ruth Mclennan of Kenora in April 1967. She provides an account of the incredible goings on in the streets and jails of Kenora in the 1881 – 1884 period. Ruth has provided permission for me to reproduce it for your pleasure.

2.Detective John Burchill of the Winnipeg Police Service has also provided permission to publish an even more complete account of these events. He has used some of the same sources as Ruth and other materials available to him. . Again, interesting reading!

3.Both of these sources were found at the Lake of the Woods Museum [LOW] in Kenora where, for the benefit of our 1949 – 50 graduation class the Curator is Lori Nelson Tom Oshiro’s neice. You may access the "MUSEUM on line

4. If anyone wants to pursue this further, there is a thesis in the Ontario Archives in Toronto: J.C. Morrison, M.A. “Oliver Mowat and the development of Provincial Rights in Ontario: A study in Dominion Provincial Relations 1867-1896” found in Bryan F. Cathcart (ed) Three Theses. Call Number 971.3 stu .Ontario Dept of Public Works, Records Archives, 1961.

5. I will be adding sources and material as it is found transcribed, typed, scanned etc If any of you have further material on this subject or any other ‘KENORA – KEEWATIN’ and area historical, geographical or biographical subjects, get them to me and I will publish, assuming permissions.

What Was Wrong with our SCHOOLS?

I attended Keewatin public schools for grades 1 to 5 and Kenora district high school for grades 10 to 13. I remember being turned ON history by Bill Pruniak [spell?] in grade 11. BUT in all my schooling in the Kenora area NOT one word of local history was spoken except as part of the canned and repetitious [it seemed every year!!] boring accounts of the fur traders and explorers. These history lessons could have been made to come alive if, even in the early grades, local instances and events had been incorporated . How could I grow up in Keewatin and NEVER hear one word about how and why the Lake of the Woods Milling company happened to be created! How could we go through in kenora and never hear about the boundary war!?

If your experience was different I would like to hear about it. Obviously by the time Ruth Mclennan was in Gr 13 in 1967 at least some teacher was interested enough to accept/encourage Ruth’s local interest subject.