Every town needs a meeting place – a watering hole where people can gather and meet with friends. At the turn of the century, Rainy River had five, including its own CN Hotel.
At the time, the town was a bustling hub of industry – it boasted one of the largest lumber industries in the country, with Rat Portage Lumber Company and the Rainy River Lumber Company employing hundreds of workers year round. The rail bridge connecting rainy River to Baudette was newly built, and a round house was constructed. The Canadian Northern rail line connecting Winnipeg to Port Arthur placed Rainy River and its roundhouse as a natural hub, and rail workers began to settle in the town.
By 1903 standards, the newly incorporated town of Rainy River was a bustling metropolis. The town motto was “Industry” and by 1906, it boasted five general stores, two gents furnishings, two tailors, two druggists, two bookstores one furniture store, one livery stable, two butcher shops, three barbers, one bakery and confectionery, two hardware stores, three laundries, two millinery shops, one hospital, one wholesale liquor store, one real estate agency, two firms of lawyers, one chartered bank, five draymen, one cold storage plant, three doctors and one dentist.
The hotel industry was also booming. The Commercial Hotel, commonly called the “Mad House” sat at the corner of Fourth and Atwood (It was destroyed by fire in 1901). The Riverview Hotel, a more luxurious building, was built the next year, in 1904, at the end of Fourth Street, facing the river. The King Edward Hotel rose in 1906 and soon after, Harry’s Hotel, where the Legion building is now located came into being.
In 1903, the CN Hotel was built on Third and Atwood facing the station. Its early days are a little hazy. It’s unclear if it was built by Canadian Northern, or private enterprise. It’s believed that it was sold off around 1920, when Canadian National overtook Canadian Northern, which allowed it to keep its name.
Since then, it has changed hands many times. The first known proprietors were W. Hows and N.J. Spedding, in 1913. Charles Desorcy was running the hotel in 1920, passing to Kate Desocy in 1931.
William Popowich was next to own the hotel in 1946. He ran it until 1949 when J. M. Kostiuk took over.
Then it was Phil and Emma Lafond who partnered with Mr. Rivard. In 1953 the Lafonds bought out Rivard.
In 1965 Dan and Edna Genyk ran it until Rene and Dolores Boulet took over in 1969. When they took over the bar was separated into three rooms – a men’s only beer parlour, a cocktail lounge and a ladies and escort’s beer lounge. However in 1971 the liquor laws were relaxed, allowing them to renovate and open all three rooms up as one bar, which they named The Diamond Willow Lounge.
In 1990, the Boulets sold the hotel to Brian and Linda Russell. They had been living in Whitehorse, but were looking for a way to move home to Rainy River. They stopped at the CN bar for a beer, and were encouraged by Rene to buy the place. They didn’t think too much about it, and went back to Whitehouse. But when Rene called a few weeks later to talk it over, they decided to take the plunge.
The Russells left a significant mark on the hotel. They renovated the rooms, replaced the roof, upgraded the infrastructure, installed the only char broiler in town, and capped it off with a beautiful new bartop, crafted by local woodworking enthusiast René Hogue.
In 2006, the Russells sold the hotel to Jeanni Brumwell, so they could retire. Brumwell was a rainy River native, but was working as a manager for Lefarge in Kenora. She employed her sister Marion to manage the hotel on the ground, while she managed remotely until she was able to retire to the area.
She made some changes to business, including expanding to Hannam Park during summertime.
Early in the morning of September 10, 2012, a passer-by noticed smoke coming out of a second story window, in Room 6. Fire crews were called, but the fire spread quickly in the 109 year old building. It was quickly engolfed, with a crowd of spectators. Reinforcements were called in from Baudette, Minn and Williams Fire Department, but by 10 a.m., it was clear the hotel would be lost. Three neighbouring homes were evacuated, and the heat of the flames was so intense, crowds had to be pushed back, and several windows of the Credit Union across the road had cracked.
No-one was in the hotel at the time; its two tenants were at work when the blaze broke out, and their belongings were largely saved.
By 11 a.m., the historic structure was gone. It was never rebuilt, but has never been forgotten.
With files from Ken Johnston
