A Life That Became A Legend

Picking up where I left off yesterday, this period photograph of lumbermen in the background has artifacts in the foreground, like boots and the voyageur sash.

A display tells of a man whose life became legendary. Joseph Montferrand was a French-Canadian lumberman who became bigger than life throughout the Ottawa Valley, and stories began to be told about him. Stories are still told about him to this day, to the point that just where the real man leaves off and the stories begin is a blurred line.

Some of the tools of the trade- an axe and timber brands.

Another person whose life made a huge mark on Ottawa. Sister Elisabeth Bruyere led a group of nuns in 1845 to Ottawa, where hospitals, schools, and social agencies were quickly established by them.  Her legacy endures today. Speaking as a non-Catholic, if they ever make her a saint, that will be one that's well deserved.

This period was one of tensions in many ways in the growing town. This included the Stony Monday Riots, which added to the reputation Bytown had as the most dangerous place in British North America.

The Great Fire of 1900 was the biggest fire to ever hit here, destroying much of what's now Gatineau and leaping the river into Ottawa.

Fire is the subject of a temporary exhibit here. It includes photos of buildings destroyed by fire in the city over time, such as the original market building in what's today the Byward Market.

On Sparks Street, one building that went up in flames was almost certainly arson, in the aftermath of the D'Arcy McGee assassination.

Things change- the same location, different times.

A Rough Lumber Town

 John By being a military officer, it made sense for him to have enlisted military men, most of them of one trade or another, to be part of the Rideau Canal project, working alongside and leading the civilian men also working on it.

It was a project of thousands, and many of them died in accidents or of illness. This also applied to their families.

Some of the tools and equipment of that time are in this display case.

Bytown would become a focal point of the timber industry in North America at this time.

This table, featuring thousands of pieces of inlaid wood, was created by a manager at the E.B. Eddy company and displayed at the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876.

The painting here is of J.R. Booth- the pre-eminent timber baron of the age in Canada. Artifacts of his life are below.

Throughout the Ottawa Valley and beyond in the 19th century and into the early 20th, the lumber industry went on- heedless of consequences, with no thought of sustainable logging- with many men taking part in it.

A display case here includes some typical lumberman's items. Note the studded boots- absolutely essential for maneuvering on a collection of logs in the water.

One of them led a life that became a legend. Joseph Montferrand ranged across the Ottawa Valley, and stories were told about him down through time that made him larger than life. Stories are still being told about him.

I close today with a close up of that sash.

Courtyards

 This snow sculpture was close to the ice sculptures in the Byward Market during Winterlude 2019. It depicts Joseph Montferrand, a lumberman of the 19th century and local legend who became larger than life.

A nearby courtyard hosted an ice sculpture set with items from the European Union encased into the walls.

Other displays could be found in the courtyard for the festival.

Photographing the photographer. Moments later she turned and saw me.

Down at the Lord Elgin Hotel, they used their terrace courtyard to host some ice sculptures too.

This included their traditional ice bench.

It was cold to sit on. I cannot keep a straight face for selfies.

For today I'll leave off with the sculptures outside the hotel's main entrance.

Odds And Ends At Winterlude

Picking up where I left off yesterday, here are more of the smaller ice sculptures that were along Bank Street outside businesses and restaurants.

Down in the Byward Market, aside from the ice sculptures, there was an unusual installation set up nearby during Winterlude. These light poles had shifting colours, and were activated by a windchime set up at the heart of the space. Knock around the windchimes and the colours would get to dancing about. I'll be using an additional shot from this visit for that Purple theme later in the year.

On another day during Winterlude, I photographed the snow sculpture of Joseph Montferrand close to the ice sculptures. The sculpture was standing outside the Chateau Lafayette pub, and depicts the legendary 19th century Ottawa Valley lumberman.

And for today I finish with this view of the Rideau Canal looking north from the Mackenzie King Bridge with the familiar landmarks. As of the moment, the Canal skateway remains open to skaters. Tomorrow I'll start to take you along for a walk I made along the Canal during Winterlude.

White And Violet

Upon leaving the ice sculptures that I finished with yesterday, I stopped nearby at this snow sculpture, erected outside the Chateau Lafayette, the oldest surviving pub in the city, dating back to 1849, hence the year on the back of the sculpture. This is a tribute to the legendary Ottawa Valley lumberjack and strongman Joseph Montferrand, who probably stopped in at the Lafayette in its early years.

This part of the Byward Market has a number of interconnected courtyards. One of them contains some Winterlude exhibits. One of them is an ice sculpture from the European Union.

Items are embedded in the ice from across Europe. I'll be incorporating additional shots into that Purple theme day in May.

Also here in this courtyard were animal silhouettes and video screens with footage of First Nations activities of the far north.

I paused at the entrance to another courtyard area. A woman was taking a photograph before she noticed me.