We have had a resilient 100 years

A great milestone is about to be celebrated.
Rainy River turned 100, January 1st, 2004 and starting July 29th, the community will be kicking up its heels and partying until the cows come home!
It will be a time of reflection, a time of visiting, a time of laughter and a time of looking forward to the future.
In your hands is the culmination of many, many months of work on the part of my staff and I.
In those months I have read many interesting pieces of history on the community. I have seen many names in our back issues, some whose families are no longer a part of the community and many who still are. No matter if they are still here, four or five generations later, all who have lived in Rainy River in the past 100 years are part of the fabric that have made this community great!
But perhaps the most interesting part of my quest to get this special edition out was my interview with

Doris and Clinton Park. They have seen so much and been part of it all.
I found it interesting that so many Americans came to this area and helped open it up, but then in those days the border ment a lot less. People crossed much more freely and with less fanfare than today’s post 911 era.
I also came to realize that perhaps the greatest enemy this community has faced in the past century was fire. So many of our original and in some cases grand buildings have been taken by fire. Even churches were not immune to it. But in each case, whether the 1910 fire or the loss of the Catholic Church, the people proved they are resilient, each time banding together to rebuild a church or help a neighbour whose home was lost to fire.
With that strength we are sure to be around for another 100 years and stronger than ever.
–Until then, Ken