THUNDER BAY -- A group of volunteers is trying to raise public awareness and interest in preserving northwestern Ontario's historic White Otter Castle.
Their efforts are aimed at reducing the risk that the provincial government might some day consider closing the structure to visitors or perhaps even demolishing it for safety reasons.
Located on White Otter Lake north of Atikokan, the three-storey log home with a four-storey turret was built singlehandedly by Jimmy McOuat over 100 years ago. It took him a decade to finish the construction, and McOuat died tragically just two years later.
The gravesite of the man who came to be known as the hermit of White Otter Lake is located nearby.
Katie Hannon of Atikokan, a member of the board of Friends of White Otter Castle, says the group has invited Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro to visit the site on Thursday.
Hannon said they'd ultimately like to get funding to get the castle back to the condition it was in after a major restoration was completed in 1994.
Right now, it's "not falling down," she said, but needs a broad range of things done to keep it from deteriorating.
The Friends of White Otter Castle are spending part of their small bank account to fly Mauro and media representatives to the castle to get some attention to their efforts.
The structure is located in the Turtle River-White Otter Lake Provincial Park, a non-operating park, so there is no visitor centre, parking area or basic facilities of any kind.
Hannon said its remoteness makes it difficult to track visitors, "and that's part of the reason why we suffer in funding because there is no home base or headquarters" where people can come in and make a donation.
She's passionate about preserving McOuats's legacy, pointing out that "It's something different. Where else can you say that there's a castle in northwestern Ontario?"
Hannon said that with that in mind, it's important from a safety standpoint to keep the building in good condition.
"We don't want to have to one day close down the entrance and say 'Sorry, you can't enjoy this beautiful castle."
If it's not maintained to a certain standard, she said, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry might have to do that, "and we don't want to ever see that happen."
This year visitors to White Otter Castle are being invited to participate in a Canada 150 photo challenge.
People who take pictures of themselves with the Canadian flag at the castle can submit the images for posting on the group's Facebook page.
