Historic Attractions

There are many historical attractions to explore in and around the City of Kenora. You can learn about our rich indigenous culture and early settlers on foot or by boat.

History on film

Watch our films about the history of Lake of Woods.

Episode 1 – Lake of the Woods; History by Water

Episode 2 – Lake of the Woods; Eastern Shores

The Muse

The Muse is the beating cultural heart of Kenora's downtown. Comprised of two separate buildings and situated in Memorial Park at the bottom of Main Street, the Lake of the Woods Museum and the Douglas Family Art Centre form a unique cultural campus in Kenora that you will not want to miss.

Heritage townscape murals

For a different self-guided tour of our town why not take in 18 heritage townscape murals throughout the city. These murals help to bridge the past, present and future of our City. You can pick up a map at the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre.

Lake of the Woods Railroaders Museum

Take a look into the history of railroading in Kenora. The Railroaders Museum features a model railway inside and a caboose on rails outside.

Mather Walls House

Mather Walls House is a Queen Anne style Victorian house which has been featured in an episode of Creepy Canada due to the resident ghost which inhabits the home. Today the house is preserved by the Ontario Heritage Foundation and operated by the Lake of the Woods Historical Society. Visit the Mather Walls house during July or August and you can enjoy a cup of tea, have lunch or take a guided tour. Throughout the year they host specialty teas and every October local high school students transform it into a haunted house so visitors can attend the “Halloween Haunt” and you may even see real ghosts in the house!

Indigenous pictographs

Indigenous pictographs are the oldest art forms found in the Lake of the Woods region. Because canvas and paints were not available at the time, early indigenous artists used berry juice and sap mixtures to paint images on rock formations. Some of these are still visible today and provide some insight into early indigenous cultures in the territory that is now Canada. Some indigenous nations hold a belief that their ancestor's spirits dwell in various objects and connect these early pictographs with the spirits of their ancestors. For this reason, indigenous pictographs are often referred to as Spirit Rocks.

Visiting the pictographs

These sacred pictographs are scattered all around Lake of the Woods and are often found along the shoreline. There are no roads leading to any of these Spirit Rocks and you must travel by boat to access the pictographs.

Etiquette

We encourage you to visit these ancient pictographs and ask that you please respect the history and culture they represent. If you visit the Spirit Rocks, it is customary to leave behind an offering as a sign of respect. For example, a small bit of tobacco makes a great offering. Please don't climb on or disrespect these settings. We ask that you leave the area the way it was found and remove all trash. In order to preserve this history, we need the cooperation of all visitors.

Devil's gap rock

Accessible by boat only, Devil's Gap Rock is not exactly a spirit rock although it is a very popular attraction. It was painted as a prank in 1894 by two brothers and over the years has been repainted by others. Rent a boat or hop on the MS Kenora cruise to see it during the tour. Devils Gap Rock continues to be a popular attraction for visitors to Kenora.

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