NRC Publications Archive Archives des publications du CNRC Early Ottawa and engineering Legget, R. F. This publication could be one of several versions: author’s original, accepted manuscript or the publisher’s version. / La version de cette publication peut être l’une des suivantes : la version prépublication de l’auteur, la version acceptée du manuscrit ou la version de l’éditeur. Publisher’s version / Version de l'éditeur: Engineering Journal, 44, 2, pp. 70-76, 1961-02-01 NRC Publications Record / Notice d'Archives des publications de CNRC: https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=fc8617ec-d19d-4ac6-b03f-e4db68468e30 https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=fc8617ec-d19d-4ac6-b03f-e4db68468e30 Access and use of this website and the material on it are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth at https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/copyright READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. L’accès à ce site Web et l’utilisation de son contenu sont assujettis aux conditions présentées dans le site https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/droits LISEZ CES CONDITIONS ATTENTIVEMENT AVANT D’UTILISER CE SITE WEB. Questions? Contact the NRC Publications Archive team at [email protected]. If you wish to email the authors directly, please see the first page of the publication for their contact information. Vous avez des questions? Nous pouvons vous aider. Pour communiquer directement avec un auteur, consultez la première page de la revue dans laquelle son article a été publié afin de trouver ses coordonnées. Si vous n’arrivez pas à les repérer, communiquez avec nous à [email protected]. Ser TE]. N21t2 no. i.1"5 NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL e.2 BI,DG CANADA i____ _,) DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH EARLYOTTAWA AND TNCINEERING by BUILDINGRESEARCH Robert F. Legget . LIETII1IY . MARii 196i ANALYZED NATIONALRESEARCH COU$CIL REPRINTED FROM THE ENGINEERING JOURNAL voL. 44 NO. 2 1961,P. 70-76 TECHNICAL PAPER NO. 116 OF THE DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH PRICE 10 CENTS OTTAWA NRC 6179 FEBRUARY 196I - 1/.oL,2d7 - _ This publication is being dis'tributed by the Division of Building Research of the Nation:al Research council as a contribution towards better building in canada. It should not be reproduced in whole or in part, without permission of the original publisher. The Division would be elad to be of asiistance in obtaining such permission. Publications of the Division of Building Research may be obtained by ,the ryailing appropriate remittance, (a Bank, Express, or Post Office Money Order or a cheque made payable at par in Ottawa, to the Receiver General of Canada, credit National R,esearch Council) to the National Research Council, Ottawa. Stamps are not acceptable. A coupon system has been introduced to make payments for publications relatively simple. Coupons are available in denominations of 5, 25, and 50 cents, and may be obtained by making a remittance as indicated above. These coupons may be used for the purchase of all National Resear.ch Council pub- lications including specifications of the canadian Governrnent specificaiions Board. RobertF . Legget,M.E.I.c., Director, Diaision of Bui.l.dingResearch, N ational ResearchC ouncil- Ottawa. Early Ottawa and Engineering Presented to the first E.I.C. Ottawa Regional Meeting, Chateau Laurier, October 16, 1959. portage, fiTTAWA is a charming city. To bounds. If the residents of Hull and very early use of this famous \,f both residents and visitors alike Gatineau Point will permit such a unknown voyageurs, anxious to make the nationrs capital with its water- slight geographical inexactitude, for their traverse a little easier, construc- ways, its parks and parkways, and ilts the purpose of this paper only, then ted what can accurately be described steadily growing collection of stately it can be said of Ottawa that its im- as the first Ottawa engineering prol'ect buildings crowned by the noble group mediate area does include the con- - four or five sets of stone steps and of buildings on Parliament Hill, must fuence of three important rivers, t-he a small stone causeway r'ear the up- often appear to be a perfectly located Ottawa, the Rideau andthe Gatineau, stream end of the Second (or Little) city, an expanding municipality utiliz- all of which have had their infuence Chaudidre Porttage. Largely through ing an area specially chosen as a upon its development. First and fore- the efforts of the two Canadian Clubs desirable site for a capital city. But most is the Ottawa, one of the truly of Ottawa, these historic relics have all who know anything of the history historic waterways of North America, been preserved in place, as a national of Ottawa know rthat this superffcial providing the main route to the inter- historic site, just as they were used impression of its beginnings is far ior of most of this continent for almost through the years; they may be seen from correct. The city does occupy a all of the early explorers. today near the east end of Br6beuf lovely location but the city of today It was in 1613 dhat Champlain saw Park in Val T6treau (in Hull). What stands where it does mainly because and described the lovely falls of the Canadian, and in particular what it occupies the site of an early con- Rideau River, as he approached the Canadian engineer, can stand on these struction camp, built on a clearing in Chaudidre, there to disembark and ancient steps - looking at the won- the virgin forest, its location deter- follow the two short portages on the derful panorama presented by the mined by the start of a military canal north bank of the river, long used by modern city - without being moved that is still a notable engineering un- the Indians. As the continenlt was ex- by tthoughts of all the pioneers who dertaking. This is but one of the close plored, he was followed by a steadily have trudged up and down that same links between early Otltawa and early increasing stream of travellers, the portage path, by refections upon the engineering work. Today under the Ottawa being used in preference to the inevitability of some sort of settle- co-operative guidance of the National the St. Lawrence as the more direct ment being formed adjacent rto the Capital Commission and local muni- route to the upper lakes and ,to the great falls, now harnessed so corn- cipal councils it is slowly being trans- north. BrCrl6 and Nicolet. Le Caron pletely for modern convenience. formed from a rather nondescript and Br6beuf, Radisson and Groseil- Philemon Wright, a shrewd and en- ,capital town into a district of Which liers, and LaSalle in the lTth century; ergetic Yankee from Woburn, Mass., the nation may well be proud. Lav6rendrye, Alexander Henry and sar,v this possibility on his third jour- There are many major cities of the Alexander Mackenzie in the l8th; ney north of his border with the world located on the banks of one and a great number, including David result that in February 1800 he left river, junction some at the of two. Thomson and Simon Fraser. as re- his home town with his family and - There are but few cilties, however, cently as the last century all'these some associates, arriving in March at that have 'the good pioneers por- fortune to have came up tlre Ottawa and the Chaudidre, there to settle on the three important rivers within their taged to the Chaudidre. And in the north bank, thus founding what is,to- Photograph in the article heading is of a Bartlett print, published in London in 1842, day the modern city of Hull. The first in the possession of the author. It shows the entrance locks of the Rideau Canal as they appeared in 1839. settlers in the Ottawa valley had come 4 in a few years before, starting in 1791, the fortress of Kingston must be built, lots - the start of local town plan- but they were still scattered and iso- even though the government of Up- ning. One year later, the "corner lated when Wright, with the aid of per Canada had declared itself too stone" for the locks was laid by the his sons, set about clearing his land. poor to contribute to the cost. Fear of Countessof Dalhousie in a small but His fame spread and so he was soon renewed war was in the air. Mili:tary pleasant ceremony held on Sept. 29, followed by other pioneers who were authorities knew that, if hostilities did 1827. Less than five years later, on attracted by the possibilities of busi- break out again with the United May 29, 1832, Colonel By now ac- ness at the portage, including the re- States, Kingston could not be sup- companied by his wi{e and two doubtable Miss Dalmahoy of Edin- plied (as it had been throughout the daughters and fellow officers came burgh (whose story all engineers war of 1812) by way of the St. back to the same spot, but this time should know even though it can not Lawrence, since American ambushes on board the ,little steamer Pumper, be classified as engineering). Caleb along the international reach of the (renamed Rideau tfor the occasion) at Bellows was one such settler; it is liver would be a certainty. The Ri- the conclusion of the ffrst voyage recorded that in 1809 he built not deau River had to be canalized. the through the completed canal, starting only a store but als,o a small ilock on Rideau Lakes linked by navigable at Kingston Mills.