Abbott's Guide to Ottawa and Vicinity/Ottawa: Past and Present
RIDEAU FALLS IN 1854
OTTAWA: PAST and PRESENT
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF BYTOWN AND OTTAWA.
By A. H. O'BRIEN.
Early Explorers.
Is there another city in the world of which it can be told that, at a time when not as yet was "the axe laid to the root of the trees," a prophecy was made that on the then virgin soil would arise the capital of a great country? The country is the northern half of the North American Continent, and the prophet was the Earl of Dalhousie, then Governor of Canada. The prophecy was made when in the company of the English Engineer officer who was sent to construct a waterway from the Ottawa river to the Great Lakes, and whose name is inseparably connected with the birth of the city. A still earlier epoch calls our attention. In 1613 Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Quebec, whose tercentenary was celebrated but recently, ascended the Ottawa river on his way to Lake Huron, and was unquestionably the first white man to stand on this site. As he ascended the river, the Rideau Falls, then in their pristine beauty, appeared to him immediately after he had turned from noting where the pretty and placid Gatineau joins its waters with the more turbulent main stream. Next he passes the bold promontory now known as Nepean Point, and immediately comes in sight of the beautiful verdure-clad hill on which the halls of Government of a new nation now stand, and resembling, more than aught else, a gem in its setting. Still contemplating the scene, this early explorer is now compelled to land, and to portage through the fringe of woods and the ledges of rock to reach the upper waters.
CHAUDIERE FALLS IN 1826
Accustomed as Champlain was to the tiny rivulets and miniature falls of the old world, we can understand the feelings of himself and his companions as they viewed for the first time the scene so well described by Francis Parkman, the American Historian, in "The Pioneers of France in the New World": "White as a snow-drift, the cataracts of the Chaudiere barred their way. They saw the unbridled river careering down its sheeted rocks, foaming in unfathomed chasms, wearying the solitude with the hoarse outcry of its agony and rage. On the brink of the rocky basin where the plunging torrent boiled like a caldron, and puffs of spray sprang out from its concussion like smoke from the throat of a cannon, Champlain's two Indians took their stand, and, with a loud invocation, threw tobacco into the foam—an offering to the local spirit, the Manitou of the cataract." Thence picking his way amongst the channels and rapids he passes from view. Champlain again ascended the Ottawa in 1616, and again in 1626 with the Jesuit Fathers Breboeuf and Lalement, who were subsequently tortured and burnt to death.
Trappers and Settlers.
The hands of time moved on but slowly. For nearly 200 years the only visitors were trappers and traders who passed up and down the river, the great thoroughfare from the coast to the interior. These were the pioneers of those who, after nearly 300 years, seek to construct the Georgian Bay Canal as a navigable waterway over the route taken by Champlain. It is possible that the three hundredth anniversary of Champlain's journey will see the greater part of this immense undertaking completed. Our chronology now brings us to the year 1796, when one Philemon Wright, a loyalist from Woburn, Massachusetts, landed on the opposite side of the river, where the city of Hull now stands. In 1806 he and his associates obtained grants of land, and became the nucleus of the settlement from which sprang the twin cities. The site of the present capital was a wilderness until 1826, when Lord Dalhousie, Col. By and others arrived at Hull for the purpose of considering the construction of the proposed Rideau Canal.
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CHAUDIERE FALLS IN 1854
Bytown.
Gradually the site of the present city became inhabited. Many of the early settlers were descended from that prolific source the Pilgrim Fathers. The village of Bytown, named after Col. By, the founder of the city, was incorporated in 1827, the population then being 1,000. Twenty years later, with a population of 6,000 it became a town, and by January 1st, 1855, it had become a city, with its name changed to Ottawa.
Origin of the word "Ottawa."
On the south bank—or Ontario side—of the "Kitche-Sippe" (i.e. great river) as it was called by the Indians, dwelt a tribe named the "Outaouais" (i.e. human ear), a branch of the Algonquins, between whom and the Five Nations Indians—called by the French the Iroquois—there was continual war. The river was first called by the early French explorers the Rivière des Algoumequins, or river of the Algonquins, but was afterwards known as the Rivière des Outaouais, from the tribe that lived on its banks. The latter word subsequently became corrupted into "Ottawa." The war with the Iroquois resulted in the Ottawas being driven from the Ottawa Valley to Lake Huron, where for many years some of them lived on Great Manitoulin Island.
Becomes the Capital.
In 1857 Queen Victoria was asked to select a permanent seat of government. Until then it had been fixed in turn at Quebec, Montreal, Kingston and Toronto. Guided by the advice of Sir Edmund Head, the then Governor General, Her Majesty, on the 31st December, 1857, selected Ottawa. The considerations which weighed in its favour were the political and strategical advantages of the location and the magnificence of the site. On this latter point will be read with interest what is said under the head "Major's Hill Park," on p. 21.
Its Commanding Position.
The Capital of Canada is in the Province of Ontario, and lies on the right bank or south shore of the Ottawa river, which separates the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Across the river, in the last named province, can be seen the famed Laurentian Hills.
The city may be said to stretch from the Chaudiere Falls to Rockcliffe, a distance of three miles. The best view of the river front is from the Quebec shore. The whole length presents a succession of bold promontories, some of them rising perpendicularly from the water's edge, clothed by cedars and pines, and separated from each other by small bays. From the promontory at Rockcliffe is a view of 16 miles down the river.
With the single exception of Quebec, Ottawa is undoubtedly the most beautifully situated of any Canadian city. It is surrounded by magnificent natural scenery, striking from its variety, and not often surpassed in beauty. Standing at the northerly point of Parliament Hill, or, better still, from the tower of the Parliament Buildings, one sees the magnificent Ottawa winding its course from the islands in the far distance at the left, down the Chaudiere Falls, past the great lumbering industries before one's feet, till it flows underneath the Alexandra bridge at Nepean Point, then, joined by the Gatineau river, it passes the pretty little village of Gatineau Point, whence it continues its course to meet the St. Lawrence.
Bridges across the Ottawa River.
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CHAUDIERE FALLS IN 1830
river. The second bridge was built by our old friend Philemon Wright and Sons, under contract. Communication with the opposite bank was obtained by firing a rope from a brass cannon across the channel—240 feet—to Chaudiere Island. During construction the chain cables broke, precipitating workmen and tools into the channel, and three men were drowned. A wooden bridge was nearly completed when a gale overturned the structure, and it was carried down the stream. Again another bridge was commenced, and finally completed. This stood for twelve years, when it followed in the wake of its predecessors. Communication was then had by ferry until 1843, when a new bridge was commenced. This bridge was subsequently replaced by a steel bridge, which the great fire of 1900 twisted into a shapeless mass. The present bridge replaced it immediately afterwards. The only other bridge across the Ottawa, within the city is the Alexandra Bridge, described on p. 12.
Ottawa Today.
From a village with a population of 1,000 persons in 1828, Ottawa has become a city of 90,000, or, if its sister city of Hull and the suburbs of both cities be included, of about 115,000 persons, with an area of over 52,000 acres. It has 145 miles of streets, on which are 42 miles of electric street railway. Making their home at the seat of Government are 3,600 of the country's Civil Service, who, with their families, form no inconsiderable portion of the population. Resident at Ottawa are the members of the more important bodies which control the country and its destinies: the executive, administrative and judicial officers. The wealth of the city is increasing, due largely to its natural resources. The natural beauty is being aided by carefully considered artificial improvements, and before long Ottawa will be known as one of the most beautiful cities on this continent.