OTTAWA, ONTARIO - BYTOWN MUSEUM AND RAIN

Sunday, June 28th, 2015

Day 328

Miles Traveled: 0

Total Miles Traveled: 4881

  We had some luck happen this morning!  Another boat left a spot with power available.  We quickly untied the lines and docked in the new space.  We were grateful we had power, not just to charge the batteries, but for we would also have heat.  An unusual front was coming through the area bringing rain and unseasonably cold temperatures.  It was not predicted to get into the 60's for the entire day.  Another bonus for Dan was that he could make coffee for the first time in three days.  Angie was glad to have hot water available for her shower that evening.     

  We decided to try and find things to do indoors.  There was a mall nearby with a Starbucks which meant free WiFi.  We ordered coffee and hot chocolate and went to work on publishing the blog posts, reviewing email, and catching up on Facebook.  It took so long that we ended up eating lunch there as well. 

  Afterwards, we visited the Bytown Museum located right next to the locks.  The museum is filled with information about the building of the Rideau Canal and the history of Ottawa.  The museum is housed in the old Commissariat building.  Built in 1827, it is the oldest existing stone building in Ottawa and the first permanent structure built on the Rideau Canal.  Initially, the building was used for the storage of supplies, tools, and goods needed to build the canal.  After the canal was built, it was used as a support building for canal operations.  In 1951, it was renovated to become this museum.

Bytown Museum

   Some of the history of the start of the Rideau Canal was given in the previous blog.  We learned even more about its history on our exploration of the museum.  The canal was built under the supervision of Lieutenant-Colonel John By.  The trunk used to transport his family's belongings from Britain to Canada was on display.  The trunk dates back to the early 1800's.  Angie thought the trunk was in very good condition given its age.

Lt.-Colonel By's trunk

  The canal was mainly built by hand with shovels, pick axes, pulleys, and wheelbarrows.  French Canadians, great lumbermen, and Irish immigrants, skilled stoneworkers, were the main work force.  It would have been nice if they had made the walls a little smoother and the locks a little wider.  Over 1000 workers lost their lives building this canal - mainly due to malaria.  

  The city of Ottawa's history begins just before the start of the construction of the canal.  Originally called Bytown, it was founded in 1826.  Bytown had a reputation as being the most violent place in British North America.  In 1855, Bytown became an incorporated city.  The name was changed to Ottawa to try and put the bad reputation behind it.  Things continued to improve and Ottawa later became the capitol of Canada and the wonderful city that it is today.