Early Ottawa

Early Ottawa By James Powell Before Europeans Traditional Territory of the Algonquin First Nation Confluence of the Ottawa, Gatineau and Rideau Rivers, important meeting and trading ground Chaudière Falls – A sacred site Land on which Ottawa sits is still unceeded Algonquin territory Algonquin First Nation, watercolour, 18th Century Arrival of Europeans 1800: Arrival of Philemon Wright from Woburn, Massachusetts, leader of a number of families to region; first person of African descent, London Oxford, member of original settlers Settlement of Wright’s Town (later Hull) on north shore of Ottawa River Initial plan was to farm, but quickly began to take advantage of the plentiful supply of timber in Ottawa Valley Shipped logs to UK: wood needed for Royal Navy; usual Scandinavian supply cut off during Philemon Wright, 1809 Napoleonic wars War of 1812 US declares war on Britain, US invasion of Canada fails, war ends in 1815 in a stalemate Highlighted vulnerability of St Lawrence River supply line between Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) to US attack Britain seeks a secure route between Montreal on St Lawrence and Toronto Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812, by John D. Kelly on Lake Ontario 202 kilometres long – Ottawa River to Lake Ontario Man-made canals link rivers and lakes 45 locks at 23 stations 4 blockhouses Construction of the Rideau Canal Construction 1826-1832 – Lieutenant-Colonel John By of Royal Engineers and Sappers Irish and French-Canadian labourers More than 1,000 died in its construction Today, Canal is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lieut.-Col. John By Still operational through its entire length Bytown Population in 1842: ~ 2,000 Two communities: Upper Town -- English, Protestant, well-to-do Lower Town -- Irish/French, Roman Catholic, poor Rough and lawless 1847: Incorporation of Town of Bytown with John Scott as its first mayor John Scott by William Sawyer, 1848 First City Hall, former market, built in 1848, lower floor fire station Ottawa selected the Capital of Canada 1841: Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) unite to form the Province of Canada; search for a new capital begins 1855: Bytown “rebranded” as Ottawa 1857: Queen Victoria selects Ottawa as the Capital of the Province of Canada 1860: Construction of Parliament Buildings begins Queen Victoria, pastel, 1890, by Herbert Clark 32 designs submitted – Gothic, Classical, Norman, Tudor and Italian Gothic design by Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones wins One of the failed designs Triumphal arch erected on Sparks Street, Visit of Prince of Wales, 1860 Lumbermen’s Arch built for the Prince of Wales’s Visit, 1860 Laying the Cornerstone of the Centre Block by Prince of Wales, Parliament Hill, 1860 Building the West Block on Parliament Hill, 1861 Centre Block under construction, 1863 Centre Block from Sparks Street, circa 1863 Centre Block, 1876, When Completed View of Major’s Hill Park from Parliament Hill, c. 1865 Corner of Rideau and Sussex, 1867 Parliament Hill, 1 July 1867, hand-tinted Corner of Sparks and Metcalf Streets, 1867 Sappers’ and Dufferin Bridges, Old Post Office, 1878 Electric Streetcar on Wellington Street, 1900 Horse-drawn bus Sparks Street between Metcalfe and Elgin, 1877 Sleigh on Wellington Street, late 19th century Byward Market in 1895 and roughly thirty years later – the impact of the introduction of the automobile South Side of Wellington St, 1889, British- American Bank Note Company, St. Andrew’s South side of Wellington St, today Church Ottawa – A Lumber Town Lumbermen hauling logs, 19th century E.B. Eddy Company, Lumber mill, 19th century Log raft on the Ottawa River, 19th century Victoria Island Timber Slide Ottawa – A Manufacturing Town Electricity generated from Falls 1881: E. B. Eddy lumber yard in Hull lit by 40 arc lights 1884: Parliament had electric lights before US Capitol 1885: Ottawa first Canadian city to be fully lit with electric lights; called the “Electric City” 1896: 60,000 incandescent bulbs powered by Falls; enough for 1 for every Ottawa inhabitant Chaudière Falls, Booth Mills Ottawa the high-tech. Capital of Canada in late 19th Century; Thomas Ahearn and Warren Soper Chaudière Ring Dam—1908 and 2020 1908: Construction of Chaudière ring dam; from Today, power generation has increased greatly; now 1909 to 1920s, dam the provided Ottawa with dam produces enough clean electricity to power most of its power 58,000 homes Power Generation No. 4 Power House, Middle Street, Victoria No. 4 Power House, Victoria Island, Today Island, early 20th century GREAT FIRE OF 1900 View from Parliament Building of the Fire Aftermath of Great Fire of 1900 LeBreton Flats Destruction, April 1900 Hull, rue Wellington, April 1900 Centre Block Fire, February 3, 1916 Before 1916 Fire, February 3, 1916 Centre Block Fire, 4 February 1916 Centre Block, 1927 Jubilee Celebrations The Development of Modern Ottawa Wanted to make Ottawa the “Washington of the North” 1899: Ottawa Improvement Commission to beautify city Start of scenic parkways through city 1908: Work begins on Château Laurier Hotel Sir Wilfrid Laurier The Driveway, later Queen Elizabeth Driveway The Driveway, just west of Bank Street, 1910 The Driveway, today Dow’s Lake Causeway Causeway from Lakeside Drive, looking Aerial Photo of Causeway, 1927 towards Experimental Farm, 1904 Chatêau Laurier Hotel and Union Station Under Construction, circa 1910 Chatêau Laurier Hotel and Union Station, 1920s The Development of Modern Ottawa Laurier’s vision continued under Mackenzie King during 1930s-1940s 1949: Jacques Gréber, noted French city architect, releases his plan for Ottawa Federal District Commission/National Capital Commission PM Mackenzie King Construction of the War Memorial, 1938-1939 Gréber’s Plan -- Highlights Greenbelt Removal of tram lines Removal of train tracks from downtown Ottawa Strict building code and height restrictions Monumental buildings Tearing down of substandard homes Jacques Gréber talking to Parliamentarians, 1949 Ottawa the Ugly Urban Blight, most likely LeBreton Flats Intersection of Wellington and Lyon Streets .

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