Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Historic Sites Of The Nation

As is the case on the nearby Plaza Bridge, each year thematic panels are placed on the terrace linking the bridge to Major's Hill Park, a terrace that passes by the Chateau Laurier and looms over the east side of the Rideau Canal. There were a series of panels this year highlighting National Historic Sites, at least one in each province and territory, with panels at each end marking an extra one. Our National Historic Sites are managed by Parks Canada, and protect places of historic or cultural value. This first panel features Rocky Mountain House, a reconstructed trading post, in Alberta.


Also in Alberta, this is the Bar U Ranch.


Fort Anne is a National Historic site found in Nova Scotia.


The Northwest Territories is home to Saoyu-?ehdaco National Historic Site, a sacred place for the Sahtu First Nation. 


This one is a mere few minutes walk away. The Rideau Canal is both a National Historic Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This photograph features it just upstream from the Ottawa Locks, with the Ottawa Convention Centre in the background.


Dawson Historical Complex is a designated historic site in the Yukon's Dawson City, where among other things, Robert Service's cabin is preserved in the frontier town. He was a poet who evoked the days of the Gold Rush in his writings.


Prince Edward Island is represented here by Charlottetown's Great George Street Historic District, where statues of the Fathers of Confederation can be found here in the town where much of Canada's Confederation was shaped.


Fort Beausejour-Fort Cumberland National Historic Site can be found in New Brunswick, and is the site of two separate forts, one French and the second one British, from the pre-Confederation era.


Grosse-Ile and the Irish Memorial N.H.S. can be found in Quebec. Millions of immigrants were quarantined here for a time in the 19th and early 20th centuries before passage into Canada, a good number of them Irish. Thousands of them died of diseases before they could begin a new life in the country. This place has been preserved for posterity.


Fort Battleford is in Saskatchewan, and was founded in the 19th century as an outpost for the Northwest Mounted Police, the predecessor to the RCMP.


British Columbia features something different. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery preserves a former fish processing plant for posterity, allowing contemporary visitors to step back in time, while also providing  a different kind of locale for local artisans.


Cape Spear Lighthouse is in Newfoundland & Labrador. It is the most easterly point in North America, so this lighthouse greets the dawn first each day.


The underwater sites of the wrecks of the Franklin Expedition, the H.M.S. Erebus and H.M.S. Terror, have been set aside as National Historic Sites since their discovery some years ago in the waters of Nunavut.


Prince Of Wales Fort is to be found in Manitoba, and was originally founded as a fur trading fort.


I finish with the far end of these, which features Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland, where the guns are fired at noon.

30 comments:

  1. ...you are such a close neighbor, I should get to know you better, this is a nice start, thanks!

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  2. It is nice to walk through history this way.

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  3. I love history. What a great way to honor Cacada's past.

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  4. Those posters look so bright and colorful as we approach the gray days of winter.

    Janis
    GDP

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  5. What a wonderful way to learn more.

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  6. Hello, it is a great way to share history. I would like to visit the lighthouse, the underwater sites panels are interesting. Enjoy and have a happy day!

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  7. @Tom: you're welcome!

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Marianne: it certainly is.

    @Janey: I agree!

    @Janis: it was a good thematic choice.

    @Marleen: true!

    @Eileen: Cape Spear is definitely on my to see list.

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  8. Canada knows how to keep her history in the hearts and minds of her people.

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  9. I'm reading a biography of David Thompson who spent some of his time at Rocky Mountain House. It's a good topic for these panels.

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  10. What a wonderful way to spread the word. And, it's an impressive list of places and events.

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  11. Beautiful panels! Love the photo of lighthouse. Newfoundland and Labrador are one of the places I'd love to visit one day :-)

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  12. I think it must be hard to live in Ottawa and to be unaware of our history with all of the info available!

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  13. Very informative. I love all of the pictures.

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  14. So much interesting history there. Ottawa really seems to celebrate it also.

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  15. @Norma: indeed!

    @Red: somehow I've never gotten to Rocky Mountain House.

    @Sharon: it's just a fraction of the many historic sites we have here. Tomorrow I'll be showing another one of them here in the city.

    @Tamago: I have not gotten out to Newfoundland and Labrador yet, but someday that'll be on my list.

    @RedPat: we've got a lot of history here.

    @Lois: so did I.

    @Pat: it does indeed!

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  16. History isn't boring this way, William, good work!

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  17. Informative post. Canada is a country which would be nice to visit.

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  18. A wonderful way to share history with words and photos. Excellent post, William and thanks for sharing.

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  19. These also work well as tourist advertising as they certainly show the beauty & history of Canada!

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  20. Wonderful idea and lovely ~ Great post ~ thanks, ^_^

    Happy Week to you ~
    A ShutterBug Explores
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  21. @Jan: thanks!

    @Klara: it is a lovely country.

    @Bill: you're welcome.

    @Christine: they do!

    @Carol: thank you.

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  22. An abreviated, but very interesting history lesson.

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  23. Lots of fsacinating stories across the country.

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  24. i love the cannon shot or the lighthouse. so rich and clean views. ( :

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  25. Do you have an annual pass?! You celebrate them so much!

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