A Crash Course in Ottawa’s History
The name “Ottawa” was adapted from an Indian word, Outaouak,
the name of the Algonquin tribe that settled and traded furs in the
area.
1613
– Samuel de Champlain was the first European to explore the area. More
than two centuries later, his astrolabe (a navigational device) was
uncovered in a farmer’s field northwest of Ottawa.
1800 – Philemon Wright, a United Empire Loyalist, began hacking
the area’s first settlement out of the vast woods – a settlement that
is now Hull, Quebec.
1832
– The Rideau Canal was completed, stretching 202 kilometers (125.5 miles)
and including 47 locks. It was designed to keep military marine traffic
safe from any future American invasion of the St. Lawrence River.
1850 – Chaudière Falls were harnessed as a source of
mechanical power. Lumber barons here created the largest concentration
of milling operations anywhere in the world.
1857 – Queen Victoria sparked controversy by choosing Ottawa
as the capital of what was then the British provinces of Upper and Lower
Canada.
1867 – Ottawa became the capital of the Dominion of Canada.
It remains the seat of government and the centre of Canada’s parliamentary
system.
1916 – A spectacular fire destroyed the Parliament Buildings.
Only the Parliamentary Library was saved.
