Perspectives

 I start today with a view across the Rideau Canal from the east, looking up at Parliament Hill.

Here where the Canal meets the Ottawa River in what is still called Entrance Bay, the view across the river takes in Gatineau, with the Museum of History on the far shore, and the Alexandra Bridge linking the cities and the provinces.

I decided to head up to Major's Hill Park. Along the way, something new. A swimming area, seemingly bound in the water, has been built here, with a large deck. I would not personally swim in the river- it's deep here, and the currents can be treacherous.

Taken from the park above, with a view of the Bytown Museum below. Re-enactors could be seen with visitors outside.

I paid my respects at the statue of Colonel By himself. Surrounding him are flowers, planted to last into October, when the tulip bulbs will be replanted.

A final shot, taken a short distance away. The Mackenzie King Bridge crosses the Canal south of the Ottawa locks, and with the landmarks around this final stretch of the Canal, it always makes for a splendid view.

Canal Locks

 Regiments formed in Ottawa to become part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War One. 

Women enlisted to do their part.

This display case features artifacts of that war.

This photograph taken on Armistice Day would have been taken from the grounds of Parliament Hill, close to the east corner.

Two more wider angles from within the top floor of the museum. A delightful place to visit, with a few ghosts of its own.

I departed, taking in a view across the Canal. Colonel By's statue is up there in the park on top of the cliff.

Boats were moving through locks.

On the east side of the locks, nestled at the base of the cliff, is a Celtic cross. This commemorates those who died during the building of the Canal. Each Colonel By Day, a memorial service is held here.

The Work

Native peoples were in the Ottawa Valley for millennia before white men first came. The Anishinabe lived here from time immemorial. 

Some of what they left behind- stone tools predating the current era.

In the decades from the founding of Bytown to its change of name, it was a turbulent time.

This is a larger than life bust of Colonel John By. We don't really have a portrait of him- silhouettes in profile of him and his wife are the only works done in his lifetime.

The Rideau Canal was a response to the War of 1812 and the ongoing tensions with the Americans. 

Americans had fired this cannonball at Fort Wellington from Ogdensburg. It was fired back by the British, hitting the Ogdensburg courthouse.

This is the trunk of Colonel By and his wife, taken when they came over for the Canal project.

Some of the tools that were used for the project.

It would be the work of a mix of people- French-Canadian, Scottish, Irish, and military units. Its legacy stands strong today. By would return to Britain following the completion of the Canal, and find himself under a storm of controversy, having had gone over budget, even though he had been cleared to make changes as needed in the field. The scandal stayed with him for his remaining years, but history has entirely vindicated him.

The Canal

 Parks Canada is the government agency that manages the Rideau Canal, along with other places of natural or cultural significance in the country.

In 2007, UNESCO designated the Canal and the Kingston Fortifications a World Heritage Site.

Here at the entrance of the Canal, the Ottawa Locks make the biggest single ascension along the route, a series of several locks lifting up from the Ottawa River.

Here we have a model of these locks.

While it was meant as a military measure, the Canal didn't last long in that regard. The advent of railroads would change things. But the Canal adapted, and instead became what it is today- a recreational boating route.

There were a number of buildings erected here during and after John By's time, some of which are still here.

The vault is an interesting space within the building. The bottom half of a mannequin is seen above in the entrance.

The vault was used to store money and gunpowder. It was solidly built.