NATIONAL HISTORIC PARKS DIRECTION DES LIEUX ET DES AND SITES BRANCH PARCS HISTORIQUES NATIONAUX MANUSCRIPT REPORT NUMBER TRAVAIL INÉDIT NUMÉRO 177 THE RIDEAU CANAL 1832-1914 by JUDITH TULLOCH (1975) Version published as History and Archaeology 50: The Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport, Recreation 1981 PARKS CANADA PARCS CANADA DEPARTMENT OF INDIAN MINISTÈRE DES AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS INDIENNES ET DU NORD THE RIDEAU CANAL: Defence, Transport and Recreation History and Archaeology 50 by Judith Tulloch Content ©1981 Parks Canada Digital Edition 2009 Friends of the Rideau OCR Scanning & Proofing: Rideau Canal Office, Parks Canada Digital Document Editing & Formatting: Ken W. Watson CD Design & Printing: Ken W. Watson Published by: Friends of the Rideau P.O. Box 1232 Smiths Falls, ON K7A 5C7 www.rideaufriends.com [email protected] Publishing supported by the: Printed in Canada Citation Text: Tulloch, Judith, “The Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation”, History and Archaeology 50, Parks Canada, 1981, digital edition, Friends of the Rideau, Smiths Falls, Ontario, 2009 Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch, 1981 — History & Archaeology 50 / MRS 177 This document was digitized as part of a Friends of the Rideau project that ran from 2007 to 2014 to digitize various Parks Canada Manuscript and Microfiche reports related to the Rideau Canal. They were made available to the public as a “Book on CD” (PDF on a CD). The original manuscripts were borrowed from Parks Canada to scan the original imagery (photos, diagrams, etc.) at high resolution in order to get the best possible reproduction. In some cases, the original authors of the reports, such as Robert W. Passfield and Barbara A. Humphreys, were involved in the digitization of their reports. These scans are pure text, done before the days of page image scans with text recognition. As such, although thoroughly proofed, some errors may remain (see “Errors” on next page). In December 2019, the Board of Friends of the Rideau passed a resolution to allow these scans to be donated to Randall D. Payne for posting to the ParksCanadaHistory.com website in order to provide greater public access to these important research documents. This website does a tremendous public service in making these documents, in digital form, freely available to the general public. Friends of the Rideau Friends of the Rideau is a volunteer run, non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving and enhancing all those elements that make the Rideau a unique North American waterway. It was formed in 1985 and is now one of the few remaining Parks Canada “cooperating associations,” working with Parks Canada to enhance programs and services available to the public. The goals of Friends of the Rideau are to: • Enhance and preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Rideau Canal. • Increase public awareness and enjoyment of the Rideau Canal. • Develop strong public support for the long-term well being of the Rideau Canal. • Promote co-operative Rideau Canal information distribution. More information about Friends of the Rideau can be found at: www.rideaufriends.com Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch, 1981 — History & Archaeology 50 / MRS 177 DIGITAL TRANSCRIPTION This is a digital transcription of Parks Canada Manuscript Report 177, published as “Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation,” History and Archaeology 50. Pagination has been kept exactly as it was in History and Archaeology 50 so that page references to that paper document will match this digital document. Some document re-formatting has been done to improve readability ERRORS Although every effort has been made to make this digital version true to the original, it is possible that it still contains OCR errors which can be quite subtle, for instance changing an i to an l (which can at times form a real word – i.e. mail/mall). This is one reason to make sure any citations include the “digital edition” addition, to differentiate it from the original paper copy. CREDITS The concept to digitize several of the important Rideau Manuscript Reports was conceived in 2007 by Ken W. Watson, local Rideau author and historian and Chair of Friends of the Rideau’s Publication Committee, as a method to make these valuable research documents more accessible to the public. Mary Ann Stienberg of the Rideau Canal Office of Parks Canada, whose library holds these reports, generously offered to OCR (text scan) this manuscript report with the use of Katimavik students. Administration and supervision of the student scanning and proofing work was provided by Cheryl Gulseth. Mary Ann Stienberg was also instrumental in obtaining Parks Canada permission for Friends of the Rideau to make this digital document available to the general public. Digital document formatting and setting into final digital book form was done by Ken W. Watson on behalf of Friends of the Rideau. The final document benefitted from a thorough review by Ed Bebee, Chair of Friends of the Rideau. CITATION NOTES The most heavily cited source is “PAC” which is today’s “Library and Archives Canada” (LAC), which was previously the “National Archives of Canada” (NAC) and before that it was the “Public Archives of Canada” (PAC). MANUSCRIPT REPORT SERIES Shortly after Parks Canada took over the administration of the Rideau Canal in 1972 (previously under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transport) they tasked several of their high quality researchers and historians with detailing various historical/heritage aspects of the Rideau Canal. This resulted in a series of research reports on the Rideau Canal, produced from the mid-1970s through to the mid-1980s. Intended mostly for internal use, these reports were produced in limited numbers with only a few receiving broader distribution through the History and Archaeology series of books published by the Ministry of Environment (National Historic Parks and Sites Branch of Parks Canada). A few copies of the manuscript reports were also distributed to “various public repositories in Canada for use by interested individuals”. They used to be found in the local Rideau region libraries (Smiths Falls & Elgin) of Parks Canada. Those libraries were shut down by Parks Canada in 2012, making access to this valuable research material much more difficult for local researchers. Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch, 1981 — History & Archaeology 50 / MRS 177 Cover: Schooner in Foster’s (Davis) lock, ca.1880 (Public Archives of Canada) Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch, 1981 — History & Archaeology 50 / MRS 177 History and Archaeology 50 The Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch Original History and Archaeology 50: Catalogue No.: R64-1/1981-50E ISBN: 0-660-10917-4 ISSN: 0225-0101 Published by: National Historic Parks and Sites Branch Parks Canada Environment Canada 1981 The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and not necessarily those of Environment Canada. Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch, 1981 — History & Archaeology 50 / MRS 177 3 THE RIDEAU CANAL: DEFENCE, TRANSPORT AND RECREATION Judith Tulloch TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Abstract 5 Introduction 7 The Early Years, 1832-67 17 The Rideau in the New Dominion 25 Problems and Conflicts 38 New Directions for the Waterway 45 Reservoir Dams in the Watershed 51 Proposed Branch Canals 59 Structural Changes, 1832-1914 59 Ottawa - First Eight Locks 63 Hartwell 64 Hogsback 69 Black Rapids 71 Long Island 76 Burritts Rapids 77 Nicholsons 77 Clowes 79 Merrickville 81 Kilmarnock (Maitlands Rapids) 82 Edmunds 83 Old Sly 83 Smiths Falls 86 Poonamalie (First Rapids) 88 The Narrows 88 Newboro (The Isthmus) 90 Chaffeys 90 Davis (Fosters Lock) 91 Jones Falls 92 Brewers Mills (Brewers Upper Mills) 93 Washburn (Brewers Lower Mills) 95 Kingston Mills 98 Tay Branch 99 Employment on the Rideau, 1832-1914 120 Appendix A. Lockmasters, 1832-1914 130 Appendix B. Buildings 153 Appendix C. Rideau Canal Tolls 169 Endnotes 215 Bibliography Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation by Judith Tulloch, 1981 — History & Archaeology 50 / MRS 177 4 ABSTRACT This study includes a narrative description of the administrative development of the waterway from its completion in 1832 until 1914. As the region bordering the system became more settled during the 19th century, new issues arose to trouble canal officials. The two most prominent of these - the problem of ensuring adequate water reserves and local demands for branch canals connecting with the Rideau - merit more detailed consideration and form separate chapters. Alterations in the physical structure of the waterway have been treated in chronological fashion with each station discussed individually. Conditions of employment for the operating staff - lockmasters and labourers - also changed over the course of the 19th century, particularly after Confederation as the workers on the waterway were gradually integrated into the federal civil services. The chapter on employment on the Rideau considers such topics as the appointment of lockmasters and labourers, problems of insufficient pay, and conditions of life at the lock stations. Until 1903, tolls were charged on both ships and cargoes passing through the system. The commercial history of the waterway and its financial problems represent a complex issue which merits detailed study. The report therefore contains merely an appendix giving a brief summary