1.
History of Ottawa
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By 1914, Ottawas population had surpassed 100,000 and today it is the capital of a G7 country whose metropolitan population exceeds one million. The origin of the name Ottawa is derived from the Algonquin word adawe, the word refers to the Indigenous Peoples who used the river to trade, hunt, fish, camp, harvest plants, ceremonies, and for other traditional uses. The first maps made of the area started to name the river after these peoples. For centuries, Algonquin people have portaged through the waterways of both the Ottawa River and the Rideau River while passing through the area. French explorer Étienne Brûlé was credited as the first European to see the Chaudière Falls in 1610, no permanent settlement occurred in the area until 1800 when Philemon Wright founded his village near the falls, on the north shore of the Ottawa River. Lt. Colonel John By was an officer of the Royal Engineers commissioned by the British Government in 1826 to superintend the construction of the Rideau Canal. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Dalhousie which authorized Colonel By to divide up the town into lots. The town developed into a site for the timber, and later sawed lumber trade, causing growth so that in 1854, Bytown was created a city and its present more appropriate name, Ottawa was conferred. Shortly afterward, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada, also at this time, increased export sales led it to connect by rail to facilitate shipment to markets especially in the United States. In the early 1900s the lumber industry waned as both supply and demand lessened, growth continued in the 20th century, and by the 1960s, the Greber Plan transformed the capitals appearance and removed much of the old industrial infrastructure. In 2001, the city amalgamated all areas in the former region, with the draining of the Champlain Sea around 10,000 years ago the Ottawa Valley became habitable. The Algonquin people who called the Ottawa River the Kichi Sibi or Kichissippi meaning Great River or Grand River maintained a route along the Ottawa River for a relatively short time. The word Ottawa is in relation to the Ottawa people, the First Nation who hunted, camped, traded, and traveled in the area, and also lived far to the west along Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. When Étienne Brûlé in 1610 became the first European to travel up the Ottawa River, followed by Samuel de Champlain in 1613, written records show that by 1613 the Algonquins were in control of the Ottawa Valley and the surrounding areas to the west and north. At left is an extract from a map created in 1632 by Samuel de Champlain of the reaches of New France. It shows a portion of the Ottawa River route he took in 1616, with numbers used to indicate sites he visited, significant rapids and aboriginal encampments. Champlain wrote about both the Rideau Falls on the part of the early future town, and the Chaudière Falls in the west. Chaudière was, and still is impassable by any water traffic, so there were portage paths around it on trips from the mouth of the Ottawa River to the lands of the interior, Nicholas Gatineau also traded using the nearby Gatineau River
2.
Bytown
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Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canadas capital city. It was founded on September 26,1826, incorporated as a town on January 1,1850, the founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General Dalhousie which authorized Lieutenant Colonel John By to divide up the town into lots. Bytown came about as a result of the construction of the Rideau Canal, Bytowns first mayor was John Scott, elected in 1847. Bytown was located where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River, Upper Town, situated to the west of the canal, was situated in the area of the current downtown and Parliament Hill. Lower Town was on the east side of the canal where todays Byward Market, the two areas of town were connected over the Rideau Canal by the Sappers Bridge, constructed in 1827. The town took its name from John By who, as a Colonel in the British Royal Engineers, was instrumental in the construction of the canal. The name Bytown came about, somewhat as a reference during a small dinner party of some officers. The number of houses now built is about 150, most of which are constructed of wood, frequently in a style of neatness, Colonel By laid out the streets of Bytown, a pattern that mostly exists today. Wellington Street, Rideau Street, Sussex and Sparks Street were some of the earliest streets in use, Sappers Bridge actually connected Sparks Street to Rideau Street at that time. Nicholas Sparks owned Bytowns land west of the canal, except for the north of Wellington. The area east of Bank Street to the canal was acquired by the military, Bytown had seen some trouble in the early days, first with the Shiners War in 1835 to 1845, and the Stony Monday Riot in 1849. Some early buildings still stand had been erected in Bytown. In 1826, Thomas McKay was contracted to build the commesariat building, McKay also built Rideau Hall, and parts of the Union Bridge connecting LeBreton Flats to Hull. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica was also early on in the developing town. The University of Ottawa had its 1846 origins as a college, though administration of Bytown had been conducted by civil authorities since 1828, the town did not become incorporated until much later. Various attempts at incorporation had been initiated since 1845, the Ordnance Department had held lands in the towns core, lands which had been the property of Nicholas Sparks. These lands were considered by many to be blocking economic progress as well as being held for speculative reasons only, when Ordnance eventually returned the lands to Sparks through the Vesting Act, the major obstacle to incorporation was removed. An act of the Legislative Assembly further facilitated the incorporation of municipalities, Richmond Landing was a small settlement started in 1809 with Jehiel Collins store, which preceded Bytown in present day Ottawa
3.
Ottawa
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Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It stands on the bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, the two form the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area and the National Capital Region. The 2016 census reported a population of 934,243, making it the fourth-largest city in Canada, the City of Ottawa reported that the city had an estimated population of 960,754 as of December 2015. Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, the city name Ottawa was chosen in reference to the Ottawa River nearby, the name of which is derived from the Algonquin Odawa, meaning to trade. The city is the most educated in Canada, and is home to a number of post-secondary, research, and cultural institutions, including the National Arts Centre, Ottawa also has the highest standard of living in the nation and low unemployment. It ranked second out of 150 worldwide in the Numbeo quality of life index 2014–2015, with the draining of the Champlain Sea around ten thousand years ago the Ottawa Valley became habitable. The area was used for wild harvesting, hunting, fishing, trade, travel. The Ottawa river valley has archaeological sites with arrow heads, pottery, the area has three major rivers that meet, making it an important trade and travel area for thousands of years. The Algonquins called the Ottawa River Kichi Sibi or Kichissippi meaning Great River or Grand River, Étienne Brûlé, the first European to travel up the Ottawa River, passed by Ottawa in 1610 on his way to the Great Lakes. Three years later, Samuel de Champlain wrote about the waterfalls of the area and about his encounters with the Algonquins, the early explorers and traders were later followed by many missionaries. The first maps of the area used the word Ottawa to name the river, philemon Wright, a New Englander, created the first settlement in the area on 7 March 1800 on the north side of the river, across from Ottawa in Hull. He, with five other families and twenty-five labourers, set about to create a community called Wrightsville. Wright pioneered the Ottawa Valley timber trade by transporting timber by river from the Ottawa Valley to Quebec City, the following year, the town would soon be named after British military engineer Colonel John By who was responsible for the entire Rideau Waterway construction project. Colonel By set up military barracks on the site of todays Parliament Hill and he also laid out the streets of the town and created two distinct neighbourhoods named Upper Town west of the canal and Lower Town east of the canal. Similar to its Upper Canada and Lower Canada namesakes, historically Upper Town was predominantly English speaking and Protestant whereas Lower Town was predominantly French, Irish, bytowns population grew to 1,000 as the Rideau Canal was being completed in 1832. In 1855 Bytown was renamed Ottawa and incorporated as a city, William Pittman Lett was installed as the first city clerk guiding it through 36 years of development. On New Years Eve 1857, Queen Victoria, as a symbolic, in reality, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald had assigned this selection process to the Executive Branch of the Government, as previous attempts to arrive at a consensus had ended in deadlock
4.
Ottawa River timber trade
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It was the major industry of the historical colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada and it created an entrepreneur known as a lumber baron. The trade in squared timber and later sawed lumber led to growth and prosperity to communities in the Ottawa Valley. The product was chiefly red and white pine, the industry lasted until around 1900 as both markets and supplies decreased. The industry came about following Napoleons 1806 Continental Blockade in Europe causing the United Kingdom to require a new source for timber especially for its navy, later the U. K. s application of gradually increasing preferential tariffs increased Canadian imports. The first part of the industry, the trade in squared timber lasted until about the 1850s, the transportation for the raw timber was first by means of floating down the Ottawa River, proved possible in 1806 by Philemon Wright. The second part of the industry involved the trade of sawed lumber, the Reciprocity Treaty caused a shift to American markets. The source of timber in Britain changed, where its access to timber in the Baltic region was restored, entrepreneurs in the United States at that time then began to build their operations near the Ottawa River, creating some of the worlds largest sawmills at the time. These men, known as lumber barons, with such as John Rudolphus Booth and Henry Franklin Bronson created mills which contributed to the prosperity. Shortly after 1900, the last raft went down the Ottawa River, supplies of pine were dwindling and there was also a decreased demand. K. Before 1950 many operations began to discontinue, and later mills were completely removed. The industry had contributed greatly to population increases and economic growth of Ontario, Upper and Lower Canadas major industry in terms of employment and value of the product was the timber trade. In 1806, Napoleon ordered a blockade to European ports, blocking Britains access to timber required for the navy from the Baltic Sea, the British naval shipyards were desperately in need of lumber. British tariff concessions fostered the growth of the Canadian timber trade, the British government instituted the tariff on the importation of foreign timber in 1795 in need of alternate sources for its navy and to promote the industry in its North American colonies. The Colonial Preference was first 10 shillings per load, increasing to 25 in 1805 and after Napoleons blockade ended, in 1821 the tariff was reduced to 55 shillings and was abolished in 1842. The United Kingdom resumed its trade in Baltic timber, the change in Britains tariff preferences was a result of Britain moving to Free Trade in 1840. Britain imported 15,000 loads of timber from Canada in 1805, and from the colonies,30,000 in 1807, the reciprocity treaty of 1854 allowed for duty-free export of Ottawa Valleys lumber into the United States. Both the market was changing, as well as the running the businesses. An American September 30,1869 statement showed that lumber was, here are the top 3, lumber,424,232,087 feet, $4,761,357
5.
Rideau Canal
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The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario, on Lake Ontario. It is 202 kilometres in length, the name Rideau, French for curtain, is derived from the curtain-like appearance of the Rideau Rivers twin waterfalls where they join the Ottawa River. The canal system uses sections of two rivers, the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as several lakes, the Rideau Canal is operated by Parks Canada. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and it remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures intact, operated by Parks Canada. The locks on the open for navigation in mid-May and close in mid-October. It is the oldest continuously operated system in North America. Lawrence River, which would have severed the lifeline between Montreal and Kingston, the British built a number of other canals as well as a number of forts to impede and deter any future American invasions of Canadian territory. The initial purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply, westward from Montreal, travel would proceed along the Ottawa River to Bytown, then southwest via the canal to Kingston and out into Lake Ontario. The objective was to bypass the stretch of the St. Lawrence bordering New York, the canal also served a commercial purpose. The Rideau Canal was easier to navigate than the St. Lawrence River because of the series of rapids between Montreal and Kingston, as a result, the Rideau Canal became a busy commercial artery from Montreal to the Great Lakes. However, by 1849, the rapids of the St. Lawrence had been tamed by a series of locks, the construction of the canal was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers. Colonel John By decided to create a canal system instead of constructing new channels. This was an approach as it required fewer workers, was more cost effective. The canal work started in the fall of 1826, and it was completed by the spring of 1832, the final cost of the canals construction was £822,804 by the time all the costs, including land acquisitions costs, were accounted for. Given the unexpected cost overruns, John By was recalled to London and was retired with no accolades or recognition for the tremendous accomplishment hed achieved, once the canal was constructed, no further military engagements took place between Canada and the United States. Although the Rideau Canal never had to be used as a supply route. Tens of thousands of immigrants from the British Isles travelled the Rideau in this period, hundreds of barge loads of goods were shipped each year along the Rideau, allowing Montreal to compete commercially in the 1830s and 40s with New York as a major North American port. In 1841, for instance, there were 19 steamboats,3 self-propelled barges and 157 unpowered or tow barges using the Rideau Canal, as many as one thousand of the workers died from malaria, other diseases and accidents
6.
ByWard Market
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ByWard Market is a district in Lower Town located east of the government and business district, surrounding the market buildings and open-air market on George, York, ByWard and William Streets. The district is bordered on the west by Sussex Drive and Mackenzie Avenue and it stretches northwards to Cathcart Street, while to the south it is bordered by Rideau Street. The name refers to the old By Ward of the City of Ottawa, the district comprises the main commercial part of the historic Lower Town area of Ottawa. According to the Canada 2011 Census, the population of the area was 3,063, the market itself is regulated by the City of Ottawas Markets Management group, which also operates the smaller west-end Parkdale Market. The market building is open year-round, and open-air stalls are operated in the warmer months offering fresh produce, traditionally, the ByWard Market area has been a focal point for Ottawas French and Irish communities. The large Catholic community supported Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the largest and oldest Roman Catholic churches in Ottawa, the shape of the cathedral was taken into account in the design of the National Gallery of Canada, which was built across Sussex Drive. The ByWard Market has constantly been an area of change, adapting to the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of downtown Ottawa. Recently, a multitude of restaurants and specialty food stores have sprouted around the market area, a four-block area around the market provides the most dense concentration of eating places, bars and nightclubs in the National Capital Region. The areas beyond this zone also offer boutiques and restaurants in abundance, having acquired a reputation as the citys premier bar district, Byward Market is thronged at night with university students and other young adults. Over the years the city has developed a series of five small, human-scale, open air courtyards, immediately east of Sussex Drive and these cobblestone courtyards are filled with flowers, park benches, fountains and sculptures. Several of the houses surrounding them are historic buildings, at the other extreme on the west side of Sussex Drive is the United States Embassy. The buildings design, by noted architect David Childs, was controversial in Ottawa. Others complained that the structure overshadowed the historic market, the neighbourhood is today markedly heterogeneous, being visited by a mix of young professionals, many families and some homeless people. At one time, the area had a serious prostitution problem, the area is mainly English-speaking but there exists a significant francophone population as well. The Market is located in proximity to the downtown, to the Rideau Centre shopping mall, to Parliament Hill. It was out of this project that the small community of Bytown grew into a flourishing commercial. Colonel By prepared plans for two sites, one on the west side of the Rideau canal, which was known as Upper Town. The land was cleared and surveyed, both villages were laid out in a grid system and divided into building lots
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