Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre looks to the future

One of the oldest tourist attractions in northwestern Ontario hopes it can gain more visitors, while also preserving the past.

Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre, also known as Manitou Mounds Historical Centre, is situated along the bank of the Rainy River, near the Long Rapids. It could also be described as part way between Fort Frances and Rainy River, Ont.

The site's main features are more than a dozen burial mounds, which are over 2,000 years old.

The Laurel Culture, one of the two groups to build mounds on the site, inhabitedthe area from 300 BCto AD 1100.

The challenge now is to bring people back to a site that highlights life 2,000 years ago, said Tara Montague-Allan, the administration manager atKay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung.

"Trying to bring new activities out here to make them want to come back is the biggest thing," she said."So, my biggest challenge is hearing people say, 'I've been there, I've seen it all,' so we're trying to revitalize it."

Montague-Allan said the site now has cross-country ski trails for the winter, and the goal is to ensure constant year-round hours to make the site's operations predictable and accessible.

She said in five years, she would like to see the site have its own greenhouse to supply the centre's kitchen, and more opportunities for people to see the Rainy River First Nations community.