Lumber Town To The Capital

In its early years, Bytown as it was still called was a restless place, with stark contrasts between Uppertown and Lowertown.

And being a lumber town, it was a rough place to live. Not a lot of law and order, too much in the way of fights which could break out into dozens of people, and outright riots. Murder was common. Bytown was the most violent place in British North America.

What law and order there was, they had their work cut out for them. Artifacts of the time are here.

There was no shortage of taverns, inns, and brothels to serve the needs of the lumberjacks.

But in time, things started to change. Bytown would see its name changed to Ottawa in 1854.

This staircase from the second to third floor is decorated in a way that looks First Nations in influence, with animals and constellations.

The transition to city would be a hectic one, with mayors serving while doing other jobs.

The crest of the city.

An early mayor's chair.

Ottawa became the compromise choice for a capital of Canada among five contenders. In retrospect, it made sense- a place on the border of Ontario and Quebec, and far from the American border.

It was Queen Victoria who made the decision. This bust of her is found here.

Fire In The History Of The City

 The Great Fire of 1900 was the biggest fire to ever hit the area, destroying much of downtown Hull before jumping the river into Ottawa and being brought to a halt at the Lebreton Flats. Another fire three years later would see the beginning of the end of the lumber era, as lumber mills were subjected to limits on the size of their timber piles.

Academic Hall at the University of Ottawa was the scene of another fire.

Russell House, once a grand hotel in the downtown, was caught up in fire in 1928. 

Items from the Great Fire and the burning of St. John's, a Lowertown church, are found here.

The church was destroyed by fire in 1912.

The old Central Post Office went on fire in 1904. 

The legacy of fire in the city looms large. I leave off with this photograph today of the Great Fire.

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.

The Canal And Swing Of The Axe

John By being a military officer, it made sense that he brought soldiers and officers with him to spearhead the building of the Rideau Canal alongside the civilian workers.

One of his primary contractors for the job was the stonemason Thomas McKay, who would go on to found the village of New Edinburgh, today part of the city. And his family home would be expanded in time to become the residence of the governor general- Rideau Hall.

Some of the tools that went into building the Canal.

A period photograph of the Ottawa Locks, with the Canal offices on the far shore- now just a memory.

This door knocker once was part of the By home, which stood in what's now Major's Hill Park.

With the completion of the Canal, lumber became the big business in the Ottawa Valley, and timber barons rose up with their own businesses on both sides of the river.

The E.B. Eddy company was one of those timber companies, and manager James Hunnam crafted a work of art that would be displayed at the World's Fair in Philadelphia in 1876. Today the table resides here.

The most prominent of all of the timber barons was J.R. Booth.

The men who actually cut the timber led a harder life than those who employed them, and often a dangerous one.