The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

EGIONAL PROFILE: NORTHERN Rainy River Review By Tina Visser. Marcine James and Lillian Vrm Drunerr At the 1966 Rainy River West District Annual. the guest speaker was Dr. Walter Kenyon. an Archeologist from the Royal On- tario Museum. He dug at the nearby Long Sault Rapids Mounds west of Emu; he suggested we stan a museum in the Rainy River District. We approached Rainy River Centre and East at their District Annuals with the suggestion. In June of l966 members from each District met to discuss the idea. But it was more than a year later. in October of 1967. before the first Tea and Bake Sale was held in the Emo Lumber building to raise money for the project. With $500 down. we purchased the Canadiana Shop in Euro for $5,000 the following year. The Rainy River District Women’s Institute bought the Museum with money they earned running food booths at the Emo Fair. By 1972, the leaking flat roof needed to be replaced with a peaked roof. All this was done by the Rainy River District members volun- teering and raising funds. There were no government grants. Since 1973. however, we have received an annual operational grant from the Heritage Programs Section of the Ontario Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation. Since then, with the help of govemment grants and local organizations and municipalities, we have been able 0 finish enlarging the building, complete the interior walls, cup» ‘oards and the exterior. The Emo Chamber of Commerce asked if we could accommodate the Tourist Information Centre in the Museum. which we have done since 1978. Since that date, students have been hired during the summer months to work as travel counsellors and to help in the Museum. A grant was received in 1993 to paint two murals on the outside of the Museum. A local artist. Darlene Fletcher. painted the murals: one depicts the scenic Rainy River and the other portrays the life of early settlers in the area. The purpose ofthe Museum is to provide information about the life and work experiences of the first settlers in the Rainy River District. Most ofthe artifacts have been donated or they are on loan. Women‘s Institute Branch. District and Area Minute Books are stored in the Museum and are available to researchers upon request. The Museum is also used for various community workshops and events and regular WI meetings. A mural of the life 0/ Rainy River’s first settlers, painted by local arfisi. Darlene Fletcher on the outside wall of the Museum, Tina Visser (left), Treasurer of the Rainy River District Women's institute Museum. and Marcine James (n'ght), Secretary. are pictured above in the Museum. Each year in February. we celebrate Heritage Week at the Museum. A lunch is organized with all the food donated by our Branches. Also. in the spring and fall we hold an Opening and Closing Tea. They are great fun! The Museum acknowledges with gratitude support from: Sunset Country Travel Association; the Ministry of Employment and Immi- gration'. the Ministry of Culture. Tourism and Recreation; and. the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines; we are also indebted to the many Women’s Institute volunteers who have contributed much time and energy to the success of the Museum. Submitted by Moraine James - Secretary. Tina Visser - Treasurer and Lillian Van Drrmen - President, Rainy Riwzr District Women '5 Institute Museum. FWlC Citizenship Project. 1995-1996: Purpose: “How to Become a Good Women’s Institute - to recognize grass roots member who_make continuous major contributions to their own Branch permanent record) - to create a “Golden Book of Recognition" (in the form of a binder to become pan of a - to have provincial units pick up on this idea and start their own records Project Regulations: - the member must be alive at the time her name is submitted to the provincial ievel o the written documentation must be typed. double-spaced, on a single, acid-tree, 8 1/2' x 11' sheet of paper (note: text will be in- serted in binder in its original condition) I a 4' x 6" portrait-type photograph must ac- company text (do not attach photograph to text, submit separately) Deadline: - the deadline at the national level is Citizen” 0 the member must not be serving or have ever served in a decision-making capacity at either the provincial or national level must have been a member for a sufficient length of time to have made such contribw tions December 1. 1996 Note: this is not a competition. but a final selection oi ten members per province will be made at each provincial level Home 5 Country. Spring '96 1 1