History of Ottawa

Originally home to the Algonquin native tribe, the Ottawa region started out as a lumber community. As the centre of the industry, the Ottawa River was used to transport the timber to Montreal. Following the war of 1812, the government began sponsoring immigration schemes which lead to a steady stream of Irish immigration over the next few decades. The newly arrived, and those who crossed the provincial border to work everyday, made up the bulk of the workers in Ottawa’s timber industry.

Colonel John By oversaw the construction of the Rideau Canal from 1826 to 1832. Built by hand, the purpose of the Rideau Canal was to provide a secure route between Montreal and Kingston that by-passed the stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering New York State. Colonel By set up military barracks at the north end of the canal which later became Parliament Hill – the seat of the Federal Government. He also laid out the town site known as Bytown (currently the Byward Market) which was, and still is, a central area of activity for the city.

The city divided into two major areas: Uppertown, the west side of the canal consisting of the parliament buildings, and Lowertown, the east side of the canal wedged between the canal and the Rideau River. Expanding along the Ottawa River, Bytown eventually became the centre for the lumber milling and square-cut timber industry in North America. In 1855 “Bytown” was renamed “Ottawa”.

Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be Canada’s capital city on December 31, 1857 – one day before the city’s third birthday. Ottawa was chosen as the country’s capital for three reasons: firstly, it was the only settlement on the border of Canada East and Canada West (currently the Ontario – Quebec border) that was appropriate enough to make the political compromise between the two colonies. Secondly, it was realized during the war of 1812 that the Canadian cities located close to the American border were vulnerable to attack. Ottawa’s position away from the border was easier to defend while still allowing transportation between Canada East and Canada West. Thirdly, the government already owned land that overlooked the Ottawa River.

On February 3, 1916, a fire destroyed the original Centre Block of the parliament buildings. Luckily, an employee closed the iron doors to the library, and the Parliamentary library survived the blaze. The new Centre Block was completed in 1922, with the Peace Tower in the centre, which is now an icon of the city.

Most recently, in 2001, the city of Ottawa amalgamated with surrounding suburbs and rural townships to become one municipality. As the fourth largest city in the country, the population of the city of Ottawa proper is currently 868, 462 and the population of the census metropolis area is 1,148,800. (Source: Statistics Canada 2006)

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