The Founding Of The City

 I start today with Lady Catherine Bate, by W.A. Sherwood.

This portrait, Sir Wilfred Laurier, depicts the Prime Minister. It is actually a photographic copy of the original by John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, an early example of mass production. The original's location is lost to time.

Captain Henry Allan Bate is also by Sherwood.

This larger than life bust is of the founder of Ottawa, John By. Because the city sprung up out of his building of the Rideau Canal, and because he was also assigned to start organizing a town, the city first was known as Bytown, later as Ottawa, and he is therefore our founding father.

One of the biggest reasons for the building of the Canal was the legacy of the War of 1812 and the need to develop routes away from the Great Lakes.

This cannonball, used more than once, is one such legacy.

This was John By's travel case, packed by his wife for their journey to Canada.

Thomas McKay was one of the stonemason contractors who worked with By. He also founded the village of New Edinburgh, where he built his family home- later expanded on and becoming what is today Rideau Hall.

By commissioned silver cups to be awarded to the contractors who worked on the Canal. This is the Drummond Cup, given to Robert Drummond.