Rideau Canal
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Surnames/tags: Bytown Upper_Canada Canals
The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario. It is 202 kilometres in length. The name Rideau, French for "curtain", is derived from the curtain-like appearance of the Rideau River's twin waterfalls where they join the Ottawa River. The canal system uses sections of two rivers, the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as several lakes. The Rideau Canal is operated by Parks Canada.
The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States. It remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures intact, operated by Parks Canada. The locks on the system open for navigation in mid-May and close in mid-October. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007 it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Historical Society of Ottawa Newsletter, Sep 2017, p 11
- SIR JOHN FRANKLIN LAYING THE FIRST STONE OF THE RIDEAU CANAL.
(From the Canadian Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal, Vol. I, p. 34.) It may not be generally known that the first stone of that important work, the Rideau Canal, was laid by the lamented Sir John Franklin. The following account of the event we find in the "New Montreal Gazette" for August 1827: "A letter we have just received from a correspondent at the Rideau Canal, dated August 16, 1827, says: — I have this evening to communicate to you one of the most important events that ever occurred in the Canadas— an event which will doubtless form an era in the history of this country for ages to come. It was no less than depositing the first stone of the locks of the Rideau Canal. Yesterday evening, at a late hour, Captain Franklin, the celebrated traveller, arrived at the headquarters of the detachment of the 71th Regiment, now doing duty here, when Colonel By decided upon welcoming this enterprising traveller to the regions of hospitality and civilization in a way that would identify his return with a grand undertaking so highly beneficial for the Continent he had spent so long time and labour in exploring,—namely, the laying the first stone of the locks of the Rideau Canal. The high stage of popularity on which the Colonel so deservedly stands, places his desires and their accomplishments almost coeval. This morning all was bustle to get ready,—at 4 o'clock, p.m., the stone weighing above 1¾ ton was brought to its bed. Colonel By met Captain Franklin on the spot, when the Captain gave the final knock to the stone in due form. I understand there is to be an inscription on the stone detailing the circumstances under which and by whom it was laid. Notwithstanding the briefness of the notice, (a cause of disappointment to many), there was congregated on the occasion as large and respectable a concourse of spectators as had ever been witnessed at this place."
In this, Canada possesses her Franklin "relic" connecting the name of the lamented explorer with one of her most useful public works.
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