Kenora in Kenora District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Boundary Dispute
Rat Portage was the Prize in the Boundary Dispute
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2022
1. The Boundary Dispute Marker
In September, 1883 an event unique in Canadian political history occurred in Rat Portage. The origin of the story took place thirteen years earlier when both Ontario and Manitoba claimed Rat Portage as part of their territory. Manitoba claimed all land west of a point 6 miles east of Port Arthur and in 1870 tried to enforce its governing powers.
An arbitration commission established in 1878 awarded the disputed territory to Ontario. The Dominion Government rejected this finding and awarded the territory to Manitoba.
Confusion naturally followed. Both Provinces set up their own administration bodies including police forces, courts, jails, mining and timber licensing boards and other equally vital governing bodies.
Manitoba's jail was on the west side of Main Street; Ontarios not far away on the east side. Comic situations saw prominent men arrested and jailed for 'liquor offences' only to be freed immediately by friends from the opposite side of the street.
Manitoba and Ontario voters went to the polls on Sept. 28th, 1883 to elect members to their respective legislatures. Rat Portage voters were in the middle, with Manitoba
this page online
The dispute finally reached the Privy Council in England which ruled in Ontario's favor in 1884.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Political Subdivisions • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1883.
Location. 49° 46.132′ N, 94° 29.463′ W. Marker is in Kenora, Ontario, in Kenora District. It can be reached from Bernier Drive close to Main Street South (Trans-Canada Highway) (Provincial Highway 17), on the right when traveling south. The marker is located along the Kenora Bay waterfront walkway, on the north side of the pavilion. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kenora ON P9N 1S4, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Ontario and specifically in Northwest Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee
2. Marker detail: Ontarios Jail on Main Street during the Border Dispute
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Transportation (here, next to this marker); Early Exploration (a few steps from this marker); The Hudson's Bay Company Fort at Rat Portage on Old Fort Island, 1857 (a few steps from this marker); Governor General's Arrival (a few steps from this marker); Town of Kenora Waterfront History (a few steps from this marker); A 1920 View of Today's McLeod Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Kenora Thistles (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Rat Portage Rowing Club (about 90 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kenora.
Also see . . .
1. The Rat Portage War Ontario and Manitoba clash over town now called Kenora. Excerpt:
(by Bruce Cherney) From its origins as a bawdy frontier town, Rat Portage was slowly evolving into a more substantial community, attracting entrepreneurs from across North America, but primarily Winnipeg. By 1883, its permanent population had swelled to about 900 people with several hundred transients periodically calling Rat Portage(Submitted on April 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)home, which accounts for the fact that nearly half the buildings in it are either hotels or boarding houses, according to the Sun. It was reported that there were 35 saloons in Rat Portage. Despite the changes undergone in the community, there remained the thorny issue of who had jurisdiction...Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 20223. The Boundary Dispute MarkerLooking west; Kenora Bay is in the background.
2. Ontario Manitoba Boundary Dispute. Excerpt:
Prisoners arrested on the order of one magistrate were liberated by the orders of another. Prisoners committed to jail by the authorities of one government were taken out by parties of men who claimed that they were merely upholding the rights of the other. Finally, constables who made arrests on the orders of one magistrate found themselves arrested for doing so by constables acting on the orders of another justice of the peace. The administration of justice at Rat Portage resembled a "Keystone Cops" scenario. As witnessed by Alexander Begg, in his book on the History of the North-West, "one day a Manitoba constable would be arrested for drunkenness by an Ontario constable, the next, Manitoba would reciprocate by arresting an Ontario official, or this dull routine would be enlivened by an assault on a newspaper correspondent, or the apprehension of one of the magistrates on some trumped-up charge, to be followed by a general swearing out of informations and wholesale arrests all around the official circle. While these interesting proceedings commanded the strict attention of the magistrates and police, it may be imagined that the gamblers and whisky peddlers enjoyed almost complete immunity, for it was next to impossible for a constable, zealous as he might be in the discharge of his duty, to observe the actions of evil-doers, while he himself was a fugitive from justice, engaged dodging a warrant for his own arrest".(Submitted on April 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 385 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
