Issue No. 150 - Sep 2015 - The Historical Society of Ottawa

The Historical Society of
Ottawa News
ISSN 1207­1838
President’s Report
by George Neville
Following the 2014 Annual General
Meeting (AGM) of The Historical
Society of Ottawa (HSO) on 29 May
2015, the first meeting of the newly
elected Board of Directors, with four
new Directors, was held on 15 June
2015. More about that later in this
report, but on the eve of this Board
meeting, Past President and member of
the Board for the past 12 years, Alan
McLay telephoned Neville to inform
him that he had decided to step down
from office but would be present for
this meeting of the new Board.
Alan had been recruited by Board
member, George Toller, in 2001 to
help fill some committee positions of a
Board of 15 Directors under President
Cliff Scott (2001­2003) who succeeded
Mary Anne Dancey (2000­2001).
Although a resolve by the Board had
been taken as far back as 1996 to
separate the operations of the Bytown
Museum from the HSO, no concrete
action had been taken on the matter
until Cliff Scott's presidency when he
led the HSO divestment. At the 13
June 2003 AGM, a Motion for
separation
of
operations
and
management of the Museum from the
Society was solidly accepted. During
that summer when Alan and his wife,
Mary, were away at their cottage on
Georgian Bay, Board member, Joseph
Konst (President, 1993­1995) drafted
motions and terms for separation in
time for the first Executive meeting in
September, 2003. At that meeting,
Scott stated that he would withdraw
and retire as president on 31
December. Later, Scott got Toller and
McLay together to urge either one to
September 2015
Issue No. 150
become President in 2003, but neither
wanted to take on the position. By the
October, 2003 Board meeting, Scott
had prevailed so strongly on Alan
McLay that he relented and agreed to
stand as Cliff's successor. In the time
before the spring AGM, Joe Konst and
another pro bono lawyer (the late)
Ronald E. Williams, who had served
on the Board of the Bytown Museum,
completed writing terms of agreement
for separation of the operation of the
Bytown Museum from that of the
HSO, and it therefore devolved upon
Alan McLay as President (2003­2009)
to negotiate with an independent
Museum Board its separation, claim to
artefacts, retention and claim by the
HSO to the Rare and Reference Library
books and HSO right to Office space in
the Museum, a task of ongoing
interaction over many, many months.
Alan McLay served the HSO well
during a turbulent, pivotal time of
much transition and adjustment. He
provided steady, stable administration
under abnormally trying conditions for
which he deserves full recognition and
grateful appreciation for his endurance
and abiding concern for the HSO. We
wish him well in his retirement now as
Past President of the HSO Board of
Directors, the right person serving
nobly over a protracted period of
progressive but necessary change.
The HSO is also very fortunate to
have had four strong, enthusiastic
members step forward to become new
Directors of the Society: Jennifer
Stelzer, Ian Badgley, James Powell,
and George Shirreff. At the first
meeting of the Board on 15 June, it
became very clear from the active
participation of the new members and
their readiness for taking on tasks that
new energy was forthcoming. The
Board agreed to create a transitional
position of Vice President (Pro Tem)
with George Shirreff accepting the role
to begin in November. Jennifer Stelzer
had earlier expressed interest in taking
on Tour planning and leading, and she
came to the meeting prepared with
suggestions for an autumn excursion to
aboriginal sites for which Ian Badgley
was able on the spot to suggest
appropriate contacts and resources that
will be pursued in the next few weeks.
James Powell not only agreed to
become the new HSO website liaison
person but also, in due course, to work
with webmaster, John Reeder, to
assume the operation and design of the
website as a Director. In addition, he
graciously accepted to become the
.....Cont'd page 12
In This Issue:
President's Report: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 1
Coming Events: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 2
HSO Speaker Profiles for Sept. ­ Nov. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 3
Past HSO Use of Computers and Databases ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4
Report on the Launch of The Franklin Mystery at LAC­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 4
Report of the HSO Excursion to Soulanges St. Lawrence Canals ­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 5
Burrowing into Burrow(e)s­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 8
Historia Poetice Aperta ­ Wm. Wilfred Campbell: New Poems ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 10
HSO Autumn Local Aboriginal Excursion Announcement ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 11
Ontario Historical Plaques ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 12
HSO Newsletter
Page 2
September 2015
The Historical Society of Ottawa
Patron: His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General of Canada
The Historical Society of Ottawa was founded in 1898 (as the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa).
Its objective is to increase public knowledge of the history of Ottawa by its publications, meetings, tours, outreach
and participation in local heritage events and also by its co­operation with the Bytown Museum, a store of
artifacts reflecting Ottawa's history from Bytown days and into the present century. Its P.O. Box is shared with
the Bytown Museum, Lt.­Col. By's Commissariat Building, constructed of stone in 1827 and located at 1 Canal
Lane by the Rideau Canal between the Château Laurier and Parliament Hill.
Coming Events
Board Of Directors
President: George Neville [email protected]
Secretary: Margaret Back [email protected]
Treasurer: Kery Peterson­Beaubien
[email protected]
Ian Badgley
[email protected]
Ed Bebee
[email protected]
Mary Edwards
[email protected]
Grace Lewis
[email protected]
James Powell
[email protected]
Don Ross
[email protected]
George Shirreff
[email protected]
Jennifer Stelzer
[email protected]
Committees
Awards
Membership Chair
Nominations
Newsletter
Publications
Telephone Tree
Tours Coordinator
Web Liaison
Webmaster
613­729­0579
613­236­7166
613­565­0277
819­777­7922
613­741­7838
613­824­5490
613­294­2860
613­723­1978
613­592­2539
613­692­9080
613­729­0421
George Neville
Don Ross
George Neville, Don Ross, Mary Edwards
Arthur Beaubien ([email protected])
Ed Bebee ([email protected])
Barbara Whitfield, Pat Richardson
George Neville, Jennifer Stelzer
James Powell ([email protected])
John Reeder ([email protected])
All general correspondence should be addressed to:
The Secretary; The Historical Society of Ottawa
P.O. Box 523, Station “B”
Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6
HSO Email: [email protected]
HSO Web Site: http://hsottawa.ncf.ca
A note regarding Membership renewals ­ For regular members of
The Historical Society of Ottawa, your renewal date is shown on your
address label on this newsletter. Please check it and see that you are
up­to­date. If not, a renewal form is available for you to photocopy on
the last page of this newsletter, or just send us a cheque that shows
your current address and phone number.
Friday, September 25
Speaker: Jaime Koebel
"Indigenous History in Walks
about Ottawa"
Routhier Community Centre*
1:00 p.m.
Friday, October 30
Speaker: Meredith Brown,
Ottawa River Keeper
"Ottawa Shaped by its River"
Routhier Community Centre*
1:00 p.m.
Friday, November 27
Speaker: John Morgan
"Alexander Mackenzie ­ Clear
Grit (All sand and no dirt)"
Routhier Community Centre*
1:00 p.m.
Christmas Lunch
December 2, 2015
12:30 p.m.
St. Richard's Ang. Church Hall
Via parking lot NW corner
of Rossland & Merivale Rd.
For information on Menu &
Program
please contact:
Mary Edwards, 613­824­5490
[email protected]
or
Don Ross, 613­592­2539
[email protected]
*Parking at the Routhier Community Centre ­ from Cumberland St., between St. Patrick St. and Guigues Ave.
September 2015
HSO Speaker Profiles for Monthly
Meetings, Sept. ­ Nov., 2015
25th Sept. 2015 ­ HSO Speaker:
Jaime Koebel ­ "Indigenous History
in Walks About Ottawa"
Abstract. Indigenous Walks is a
guided walk and talk through
downtown Ottawa that explores the
social,
political
and
cultural
environments through monuments,
architecture & landscape through an
Indigenous perspective. The talk will
be a photographic presentation of local
& national sites based in the history of
Indigenous realities including the
Northwest
Resistance,
prominent
Indigenous leaders as well as policies
that have affected the lives of
Indigenous nations.
Profile.
Jaime
Koebel
is
Nehiyaw/Michif from Lac La Biche,
AB. She has lived in Ottawa since 2000
& has an educational background in
Canadian & Indigenous Studies from
Carleton University. She has worked
for several Indigenous organizations
and has acquired cultural knowledge
throughout her life. Jaime has dedicated
her time to educating others about
Indigenous issues at local, national &
international levels through dance, the
arts and cultural awareness. She began
the company Indigenous Walks in the
spring of 2014 and continues to expand
in exciting directions.
30th Oct. 2015 ­ HSO Speaker:
Meredith Brown ­ "Ottawa ­Shaped
by Its River"
Abstract. The Ottawa River has
quenched our thirst, shaped our history
and continues to provide energy,
connect and sustain our communities.
Unfortunately the fishery can no longer
sustain us and the chemicals we pour
down our drains are turning up in our
drinking water. We are forgetting how
water shapes us, and how we shape it
HSO Newsletter
in return. Learn how pollution in the
Ottawa River has influenced national
water laws and why our national
treasure has yet to be designated a
Canadian Heritage River.
Profile. As the Ottawa Riverkeeper,
Meredith
Brown
is
a
strong
independent voice for the Ottawa River
and advocate for improved water
protection in Canada. Since 2004, she
has significantly raised the profile of
the Ottawa River and brought important
issues such as sewage dumping and
radioactive waste to the attention of the
public and decision­makers.
The
Riverkeeper is regularly called on to
comment on issues that impact the river
and to provide insightful solutions and
recommendations to improve the health
and future of the Ottawa River.
Meredith
holds
biology
and
environmental engineering degrees
from Queen¹s University and the
University of Guelph. She also earned a
Masters in Resource and Environmental
Management from Simon Fraser
University, with an emphasis on water
management and public policy.
Meredith¹s leadership and collaborative
approach has brought excellent results
and connected key players throughout
the watershed. Meredith organized the
first ever Ottawa River Summit that
brought Mayors, First Nation Chiefs
and key agency players together to
address the future of the Ottawa River.
Meredith sits on many advisory
committees around the watershed and
was recently named a Fellow of the
Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
27th Nov. 2015 ­ HSO Speaker: John
Morgan ­ "Alexander Mackenzie –
Clear Grit (all sand and no dirt)”
Abstract. If Sir John A. Macdonald
helped define “what” we are,
Alexander
Mackenzie,
Canada’s
stonemason prime minister, helped
define “who” we are.
Page 3
Drawing on family, archival and
other records, I hope to shed some light
on the character and accomplishments
of Mackenzie, along with the
influences that propelled him from his
humble beginnings to the highest
position in the land.
This will begin with his early
childhood in Scotland; immigration to
Canada with his sweetheart; tragedies
and triumphs as a young husband and
stonemason in Upper Canada West;
early political activities; time as prime
minister; and later political years in
opposition.
In many respects, Alexander
Mackenzie was the antithesis of
Macdonald. Known for his utmost
honesty, integrity and hard work,
Mackenzie sought no recognition or
reward for himself. A devout Baptist,
he fought passionately for equality,
democracy, the rule of law, and,
honesty in government.
A champion of Canada’s rights as a
nation, Mackenzie declined three offers
of knighthood and almost came to
blows with the Queen’s representative
to Canada. Described at the time as
“one of the truest and strongest
characters to be met within Canadian
history” and “the best debater the
House of Commons has ever known”,
his is a compelling story of duty and
honour.
Profile. John Morgan is a great­great
grandson of Alexander Mackenzie.
He attended Glebe Collegiate and then
Queen’s University where he obtained
his B. Comm in 1976. After obtaining
his CA designation, he went on to work
20 years at Canada Mortgage and
Housing Corporation and then 12 years
at the Office of the Comptroller
General of Canada.
He retired a few years ago as the
Assistant Comptroller General of
Canada responsible for government­
wide financial management.
John
helped Canada achieve recognition for
Page 4
leadership in financial management with
the adoption of full accrual accounting
policies, and attained many years of
clean, unqualified, audit opinions on the
Government’s financial statements. He
was honoured with the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for his
contribution to financial management in
the Government of Canada.
John spoke at the Government of
Canada’s commemoration ceremony of
Mackenzie’s grave site in Sarnia and
also on CPAC’s The Prime Ministers
episode on Mackenzie. In retirement,
he has enjoyed the arrival of four
grandchildren and sorting through
many family records for donation to
the Canadian War Museum and the
Library and Archives Canada.
Past HSO Use of Computers
and Databases
by Don Baxter
Further to the President's Report in the
June Newsletter, we did indeed do the
Library database, which had about
2400 items ­ given to the City library
along
with
the
books.
The
Membership database, for Don Ross,
has about 600 records ­ current and
historical. The Archives database had
some 1600 items and was used by
Grace Lewis during the transfer to the
City. The Badges database, for Don
Carrington, had some 4100 records in
it and was used during the sales in
September 2010, conducted by
Marway Militaria, Canada's oldest
established Auction House for
militaria and police collectibles. The
biggest one was the Collections
database, which had some 12,000
items ­ Grant Vogl used it for some
time with the Bytown Museum
acquisitions. We certainly used it
during HSO transfer of artifacts to the
City Archives.
Editor's Note: James Powell has
graciously agreed to succeed Don
Baxter as keeper of digital records for
the HSO.
HSO Newsletter
Report on the Launch of The
Franklin Mystery at Library
and Archives Canada (LAC)
by Mary Edwards
I was surprised to not see any of the
other HSO Directors at this event. It
was very worthwhile. I was pleased to
receive the invitation.
I enjoyed the morning at LAC on
Thursday attending the launch of the
Franklin Mystery from 10 am to 12
Noon. The “Welcome” was given by
the head librarian and archivist at LAC,
Guy Berthiaume. Master of Cere­
monies was Prof. Chad Gaffield from
the History Dept. of Ottawa U. This
was followed by “throat singing” by 2
little 5­year­old girls, accompanied by
2 little boys on drums, all from the
Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre. Very
sweet. Introduction to the Franklin
Mystery was by Lyle Dick, historian
and Past­President of The Canadian
Historical Association and Research
Director for the Franklin Mystery.
Remarks on the significance of the
Inuit in the Franklin Mystery were
made by Louie Kamookak, followed
again by the children singing and
drumming. They were all great.
Then, the most interesting talk was
by Marc­André Bernier, Manager,
Underwater
Archaeology,
Parks
Canada. His remarks were on the
search for Franklin’s lost vessels and
the discovery of HMS Erebus. He was
the main diver in this search by Parks
Canada. I remembered seeing him in
the Franklin documentary on TV
recently, along with a younger man
from Parks Canada, also a diver, that
was present.
Before the closing
remarks were given, there was a solo
performance of Northwest Passage
sung by Ken Lavigne that brought me
close to tears. Ken was accompanied
on the stage by a pianist on a grand
piano. (I don’t remember his name.)
Closing remarks were by Alan
Latourelle, CEO, Parks Canada.
September 2015
Afterwards, there was a reception with
light refreshments and a chance to
mingle. Among others, I was pleased
to have the opportunity to talk with
both Marc­André Bernier and Ken
Lavigne and tell them how impressed I
was with the work they have done and
their participation in this event. There
was a huge crowd. I was pleased they
had invited a number of elementary
and high school students and their
teachers to attend this event. As well,
there were a number of university
students studying science (archeology
or biology, in particular). Altogether,
it was suggested there were about 200
individuals in the auditorium audience.
All in all, a very interesting morning.
~~~
(advertisement)
September 2015
HSO Newsletter
Page 5
Report of the HSO Excursion to
Soulanges St. Lawrence Canals
& Vaudreuil Co. Lakeshore
Road, 25th June 2015
By George Neville
How fortunate to have had a perfect
sunny, comfortably warm excursion
day with clear atmosphere for distant
viewing after so many rainy days this
June! All 15 passengers were on board
the Healey coach when it left St.
Richard's Anglican Church parking lot
on Merivale Rd. at Rossland 10
minutes early (7:50 AM) providing
extra time to pick up twice that number
of travellers at St. Thomas the Apostle
Anglican church on Alta Vista Dr.
beside the fire station at Randall Ave.
Just as the bus began to enter the
parking lot where a car ahead had
slowed to a stop, and with the bus
straddling the two lanes of Alta Vista,
suddenly two fire trucks emerged with
sirens blaring, but luckily heading
south on Alta Vista away from our
road blockage. Such an occurrance
had never before been experienced!
With 45 passengers on board (one no
show), we set forth south on Alta Vista
to Heron Rd., thence east on Heron and
Walkley Rd. to take Hwy 417 east to
the Highland Road exit. Travelling
south on the Highland, we passed
through Maxville to reach Hwy 43,
then east on #43 for a short distance to
continue south through Apple Hill to
Martintown. At the T­junction in
Martintown's main street (Dundass St.),
Grand Hotel on Dundass Street, Martintown, ON,
the old stagecoach inn on the main road between
Montreal and Toronto. Photo courtesy of G. Neville.
Map showing the path of the two canals, Beauharnois & Soulanges, that were built to bypass the rapids
between Lake St. Francis and Lake St. Louis. The southern route, or Beauharnois Canal, from what is now
Valleyfield to the village of Melocheville, was completed in 1845. The northern route, or Soulanges Canal,
opened in 1899. Photo (SHSC001 Map) from stlawrencepiks.com
we turned right and went west 2 blocks
to park on the west side of the Grand
Hotel (9:45 AM)
where we had
arranged with its owner, Marilyn, for a
comfort stop. Marilyn ushered us in
the back way that provided a gentle
ramp; she had been waiting for us since
9:30 AM since the hotel normally
doesn't open until 11:00 AM. What a
pleasant and unsuspected ambiance to
encounter. The building had been a
former stagecoach stop on the main
road between Montreal and Toronto,
and during renovations, Marilyn had
saved as much of the old features as
possible so that today it is a popular
place for musical evenings, wedding
parties, and other events.
Leaving Martintown at 10:10 AM,
we continued east on Route 18 (the
King's Hwy) passing through St.
Raphaels, Brown House Corner, Pine
Hill, North Lancaster, Bridge End
catching beautiful vistas of the
Adironnack Mountains to the south
beyond the St. Lawrence River. After
crossing the border into Quebéc
province and a short distance west of
St. Télesphore, we turned south on
Hwy 325, and towards its end, passed
over Hwy 20 to reach a T­junctin with
Hwy 338 where we turned left to
proceed towards St. Zotique on the St.
Lawrence. On the western edge of St.
Zotique, named for St. Zoticus of
Comana, we picked up our local guide,
James Forbes (HSO member form Les
Cédres, QC) standing on the RHS of
the road under two large signs "Resto"
and "Marche Amis" holding a Quebéc
flag in one hand.
Up to this point, photocopied arrays
of maps and site illustrations had been
distribued to passengers briefed on the
four major sets of rapids beginning in
the east at Pointe de Cascades (on the
edge of Lake St. Louis), and up river a
little from that, Split Rock, then the
mid­way rapids at the Cedars (Les
Cédres), and finally the massive
Coteaux rapids at the eastern side of
Lake St. Francis just below Coteau
Landing and near the village of
Soulanges. All these rapids had been
bypassed by the first Beauharnois
Canal (named after the Seigneury of
Beauharnois) constructed to a depth of
9 ft. on the south side and close to the
river from Melocheville to Valleyfield
and completed in 1845. A new canal
to a depth of 15 ft. (the Soulanges
Canal named after the Soulanges
Seigneury) was started in 1891 on the
north side of the river from Lake St.
Louis, just north of Pointe­de­
Cascades, to Coteau Landing on Lake
St. Francis. It was completed in 1899
consisting of five locks (280' x 46')
over a distance of 15 miles that raised
or lowered shipping for a total of 84
feet. The Soulanges Seigneury had
been granted in 1702 by Governor
Louis­Hector de Callière to Pièrre­
Jacques de Joybert, Knight and Lord of
Page 6
Soulanges. It was at this time that
David Rudkin, HSO member, provided
some archival photos of construction
activities for the Soulanges Canal,
which were circulated among the
excursionists. He also circulated a
photocopy of the coverpage of the
paper read by Mrs. L.N. Rhéaume at
the monthly meeting of the Women's
Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa
on 10th January 1908 entitled,
"ORIGIN of the CORNWALL and
WILLIAMSBURG CANALS".
Soulanges Canal archival photo by C.H. Puihey,
1898, MP­0000.2400.92 © McCord Museum.
Soulanges Canal archival photo by C.H. Puihey,
1898, MP­0000.2400.83 © McCord Museum.
From St­Zotique, we continued east
on Hwy 338 through Coteau Landing,
Soulanges to Coteau­du­Lac (meaning
the hill to the lake). Before reaching it,
we turned right off Hwy 338 following
the brown Parks Canada 'Lieu
historique' signs into Coteau­du­Lac to
get onto Chemin du Fleuve that we
took west a couple of blocks to reach
the entrance to the Parks Canada
National Historic Site, the British Fort
of Coteau­du­Lac, south of the chemin
and facing the eastern portion of the
Coteaux rapids. Here we visited the
reception centre first to be briefed by
attendant, Simon, using a dome­
covered model of the whole fortress
HSO Newsletter
area before strolling about the grounds
and visiting the octagonal blockhouse
built of squared logs. Between the
blockhouse and the canon installation
at the point overlooking the rapids, is a
simulated reconstruction of the first
18th century canal and locking system
of its kind in North America.
During the American War of
Independence (1776­1783), the Swiss­
born Governor of Quebéc, Frederick
Haldimand ordered a canal to be dug at
Coteau­du­Lac at the junction of the
Delisle and St. Lawrence Rivers by
members of the King's Royal Regiment
of New York. Construction was begun
in 1779 under the supervision of Capt.
William Twiss, and it was completed
15 February 1781. The canal was
approximately 100 metres in length,
2.5 metres in width, with three locks
(12 m long and 1.8 m wide with a draft
of about 80 cm) accommodating a drop
of about 2 metres between the top and
bottom of the rapids at that site. While
at this site as an excursionist with us,
Ian Badgley, HSO Director and also
the sole archaeologist of the National
Capital Commission (NCC), spoke to
several of us about his archaeological
work here some years ago, and he
kindly provided me with the following
summary for this report:
"Archaeological work carried out in
the late 1960s as part of the restoration
program of the 19th century British
Fort at Les Coteaux was focused on the
excavation of the cloverleaf bastion.
These excavations yielded a substantial
pre­contact
artifact
collection,
including numerous stone, bone and
antler tools as well as pot sherds.
These artifacts show that the site was
intermittently occupied or used for
some 5,000 years, principally as a
hunting and fishing station. The
excavations also uncovered two pre­
contact burials, one containing the
remains of a robust adult male about 41
years old and the other consisting of an
adult female, with an infant, about 18
September 2015
St. Lawrence eastern Coteaux Rapids, Coteau­du­Lac.
Simon's presentation of Coteau­du­Lac site model.
British wooden octagonal blockhouse, Coteau­du­Lac.
East and west replica portions of the Coteau­du­Lac
canal built on site, 1781. Above photos by G. Neville.
September 2015
months old, lying on her chest."
After spending about an hour visiting
the historic fort site, we departed at
12:00 noon proceeding east along the
old road (Chm. de Fleuve ­ in French
any river that flows into the ocean is a
'fleuve'; hence Fleuve de St­Laurent
and Rivière d'Ottawa). About 5 km
east, we passed on the south the
backside of the Manoir Beaujeu (an
Opus Dei retreat) completely shrouded
by thick evergreens. About another 1.5
km east on the north side of the road
set in a distance on a water course
drawn from the 'fleuve' was a red brick
Chateau­style electric power plant built
in 1899, most likely discharging its
water into the Soulanges Canal
completed at the same time.
Old hydroelectric generating station on Soulanges
Canal near Les Cèdres. © Ministère de la Culture et
des Communications, Jean­François Rodrigue, 2004.
The Soulanges Canal operation was
powered by the small electrical
generating station named "Le Petit
Pouvoir" located near the middle of he
canal.
It provided power for the
motorized lock gates, electrical
operation of swing bridges, and
illumination of the entire length of the
canal at night. It was the first canal in
the world to have its entire passageway
lit by night enabling 24­hr operation.
By 1958 when the St. Lawrence
Seaway was opened, operation of the
Soulanges Canal and its electrical
generating station was terminated and
replaced by a much wider and deeper
new Beauharnois Canal located in the
southern part of Grande Île, but still
running from Melocheville to present
HSO Newsletter
day Salaberry­de­Valleyfield.
A little further east on Chm. du
Fleuve, we turned north a short
distance to continue east on Hwy 338
along stretches of intact Soulanges
Canal, and at one point, viewed an old
lock and some impressive stonework
bridging without guard railings. We
continued east on Hwy 338 to Dorion
where we turned right onto Route 20
until
Exit
31
(Anciens
des
Combattants) to go into Ste­Anne­de­
Bellevue and turning left onto
Lakeshore Blvd. at the river's edge
passing through the village and past its
two locks between Lac St­Louis and
Lac de Deux Montagnes to reach the
John Abbott College (English CEGEP)
for box lunches in its Stewart Building
dining hall, arriving at 12:50 PM.
By 2:00 PM, we were on the coach
again departing westward on Route 40
heading for Exit 35 to Hudson on the
old shore road of Vaudreuil Co. along
the south shore of the Ottawa River.
James Forbes had scouted out all of the
Soulanges Canal roads as well as sites
of interest along this shore road to
which he drew our attention. Although
we did not take the side road west into
Como, it was pointed out that the
Ottawa Glassworks had been making
glass window panes and electrical
insulators from the early 1800s from
the fine quality locally occurring sand.
By the middle of the 19th century, the
Ottawa Glassworks with its two sites
(east and west and its community, gave
up its name for 'Como' in anticipation
of Bytown being renamed Ottawa. A
little further west of the west Ottawa
Glassworks, another glass factory,
Canada Glassworks, was established.
Further west along this Main Rd. of
the District of Hudson, we stopped for
30 minutes at Greenwood House (a
Centre for Living History established in
1994 when it was bequeathed to
Canadian Heritage of Quebéc) that quite
delighted everyone with its extensive
collections of many roomfuls of
Page 7
Greenwood House in Vaudreuil County, 254 Main
Rd. situated on Lac des Deux Montagnes. G. Neville.
tastefully selected and arranged
artefacts. The house is surrounded by
lovely gardens extending to the edge of
Lake of Two Mountains with Oka
across the way to the south­east. The
house dates from 1732 when it was built
by Jean­Baptiste Sabourin. In 1820, the
property was purchased by Peter
Francis Christian Delesderniers as a
residence and general store. When
P.F.C. Delesderniers married Amelia
Rice in 1824, the house was given the
name, Greenwood. In 1841 the first
Post Office in the area was established
with
P.F.C.
Delesderniers
as
Postmaster. In 1924, Greenwood was
acquired by Dr. F.J. Shepherd, McGill
Professor of Anatomy (1875), grandson
of P.F.C. Delesderniers for his daughter,
Mary Cecilia, and her husband Percy
Nobbs, Dean of Architecture of McGill
(1903),
and
from
1960­1994
Greenwood was the permanent home of
Phoebe Nobbs Hyde, gt­gt­gd­daughter
of P.F.C. Delesderniers.
A little further west up the road we
came upon St. James' Anglican Church
(on the RHS) located in Hudson
Heights, Vaudreuil Co., on land
donated by Capt. R.S. Robins and his
wife Hannah Schneider, built in 1842
and surrounded by its cemetery. Rev.
James W. Pyke (1816­1896) was the
first ordained minister of St. James'
Anglican Church, posted to Cavagnal
in 1841 in the newly created Parish of
Vaudreuil. Finally, a little further west
on the road we encountered a series of
'millionaire' homes, all on the RHS, the
lake side; then we continued on to
reach Exit 17 to rejoin Hwy 40 and a
.....Cont'd page 12
Page 8
Burrowing into Burrow(e)s
by Edward Bebee
Introduction
The name of Burrow(e)s was
prominent in the early days of Rideau
Canal construction. John Burrows was
the Overseer of Works for the stretch
Bytown to First Rapids; Thomas
Burrowes (no relation) was his
counterpart for the rest of the project
down to Kingston Mills. The
possibility of confusing the two men is
evident. That it was not realized until
the project was essentially complete is
remarkable. This little note skips along,
focusing on: what happened; when;
suggesting why
.
Background
John Burrows started adult life as a
civil engineer and a Lieutenant in the
British Militia Prince of Wales
Regiment.1 Arriving in Canada, he
found employment as a surveyor along
the Ottawa River. On December 28,
1820, he was appointed a Provincial
Land Surveyor. John was an ardent
Methodist, who established a chapel
and taught Sunday School. Above all,
John was a man who always kept his
eye on the main chance.
Thomas Burrowes had been a
Corporal in the British Army in
Kingston. Transferred back to England,
he bought his way out and, with the
death of his father, went back to the
Kingston area. He was well­regarded
by local officers in the Royal Engineers
and was recommended to Lt.­Col. By
when the Rideau Canal project was
starting up.
The Beginning
Both men started canal work on the
same day; September 26, 1826. John
began at a salary of seven shillings (7s)
per day; Thomas at five shillings (5s)
per day until Spring, 1827, when his
salary rose to seven shillings, six pence
(7/6) per day. They worked together in
Bytown and John helped Thomas to
become a surveyor.
HSO Newsletter
In early 1829 Thomas was
transferred to Brewers Upper Mills
under Captain Briscoe. In May, his
salary was increased to 10s per day.
On 2 April 1830, Lt.­Col. By
recommended that John Burrows’
salary be increased from 7/6 to 13s per
day. There was “push back” on 1 July
1830 from the “Honourable Board” in
Montreal, asking why so large an
increase was recommended and
approving an increase in salary to 10s
per day, effective 1 April 1830.
Note that this would mean that
Thomas had been paid more than John
for nearly a year. John seemed to be
unaware of this.
On 30 October 1830, By replied to
the Respective Officers of His
Majesty’s Ordnance in Quebec. He set
out his reasons for his recommendation
of a major increase in salary for John
Burrows. By stated that Burrows had
performed similar duty to that of the
Clerk of Works, who received 14s per
day. Accordingly, a salary of 13s per
day was reasonable for the Overseer of
Works in Bytown, John Burrows.
This recommendation was accepted
by the Master General and Board, who
approved the increase to 13s per day
effective 1 April 1830.
Now John is being paid 3s per day
more than Thomas.
1832 and Beyond
Everything went smoothly until the
Canal had been completed and the
Army turned its attention to
determining which of their employees
should be retained as Permanent and be
eligible for a pension upon retirement.
Lt.­Col. By repeated his recom­
mendation that John Burrows receive
his present rate of pay – 13s per day for
the year 1832. This recommendation
was supported by the Respective
Officers in Quebec to the Master
General and Board in a letter 26
September 1832.
Captain Bolton, in the Nominal
Return of the proposed Establishment
September 2015
for the Rideau Canal dated 11 January
1833, had identified “John Burrows
(Overseer of Works) Recommended
for Acting Clerk of Works”.
In a letter dated 23 October 1833 to
Col. Fanshawe, By recommended John
Burrows, then Acting Clerk of Works,
as the best person to support Lt.­Col.
Eliot, who was responsible for
assessing damage caused by canal
construction. In an order dated 1
January 1834, Bolton told Burrows that
he was to be available to the Engineers
Office when his services were not
required by Eliot.
In 1 July 1834 Thomas Burrowes
discovered that John Burrows had been
paid at a higher rate than he was
receiving. Thomas referred to the letter
from Lt.­Col. By in which By had
recommended that John Burrows salary
be raised to 13s per day. Thomas
asserted that Fanshawe was the
deciding factor in John getting the
salary increase; Fanshawe stated that
he knew the man and that he deserved
the increase.
Conflicting Memories and Copies
Thomas pointed out that he had
accompanied Fanshawe when he was
touring with the Canada Committee in
1828, and that Fanshawe was much
impressed with Thomas’ work.
Thomas admitted that he was relying
upon what he had been told by then
Clerk of Works, Nicholas Baird, about
Fanshawe’s support for the pay
increase.
John responded to this by referring
back to the letters written by Lt.­Col.
By in which By specifically mentioned
the name “John Burrows” as being the
person deserving of the pay increase.
He agreed that Fanshawe supported the
increase and no doubt may have been
thinking of Thomas Burrowes. John
went on to state again that Lt.­Col. By
specifically mentioned himself, John
Burrows, as deserving of the 13s in his
follow­up letters to the Respective
Officers and Board.
September 2015
Captain Bolton also wrote detailed
letters in which he gently put aside
Thomas’ suggestion that Lt.­Col. By
simply made a mistake in referring to
John Burrows in his explanatory letters
supporting the increase in pay to 13s.
This would have been highly unlikely;
By knew Burrows well and was
diligent in trying to leave him in as
secure a position as possible with the
termination of canal construction.
Thomas may have been right in
supposing that Fanshawe mistook the
name of John Burrows as the “Burrows”
that had accompanied himself and the
Canada Committee so effectively.
Certainly a simple mistake, easily made;
Fanshawe evidently did not cross paths
often with John Burrows.
An equally interesting question is
“Why did Lt.­Col. By not also make a
request to have Thomas’ salary in­
creased?” There are several possibilities.
First, By probably knew that he
would have had difficulty in having the
salaries of both men increased at the
same time. He may have thought that
since Thomas had reached 10s before
John, perhaps it was only fair to bring
up John to 13s before Thomas. He
could always make a request for a
salary increase for Thomas later, and
the retroactive nature of such increases
would minimize any harm done.
Second, By may have thought that
Thomas was at the right level. Captain
Bolton’s letter of 27th March 1835
suggests that he (Bolton) regarded
Thomas as highly deserving of an
increase. Bolton’s letters do not
indicate that he had ever tried to get By
to make a salary increase request for
Thomas for parity with John.
There is some support for the second
point. Consider that John had been at
the 13s level for 4 ½ years before
Thomas found out. Presumably By did
not wish to make a salary increase
request for Thomas during that time.
Bolton also made pointed comments
about the amount of money that John
HSO Newsletter
was receiving but does not go so far as
to indicate that John was over­paid.
In a 31st January 1835 letter to The
Right Honourable and Honourable
Board of Ordnance, John had described
the money that he had been making
and could expect to make as a
Provincial Land Surveyor. He had
received 15s per day and rations while
surveying the Township of Grenville
and the Grenville Canal at the Long
Sault Rapids on the Ottawa River.
Later, while he was employed on the
Rideau Canal, he had been offered
Government surveys at 30s per day to
survey 100,000 acres in the Townships
of Templeton and Eardley. He had to
turn the work down.
Bolton stated that John had never
received less than 14.5s Cur per day
with rations and that from 7 January
1831 he was paid £1.0.9. Bolton
commented tartly “it does not appear
that Mr. Burrows can have been so
very much greatly a loser (in a
pecuniary point of view) by having
entered the Engineers Establishment”.
This
deserves
some
careful
explanation. In a letter dated 26
September 1832, the “Respective
Officers” had approved “13/Currency
per day for the Overseer of Works Mr.
J. Burrows (with a ration of Provisions
paying 1 ½ for it) and without any
other
allowance
except
when
travelling, we do not look upon as
better than any other Overseer of
Works of the 1st Class, we have
therefore submitted the same to the
Hon’ble Board.”
It seems clear that John had initially
given up at least 7/6 day in base pay
(7/6 vs 15s) by joining the Rideau
Canal project. On the other hand, he
had also gained steady employment
and a home base. Equally, the £1.0.9
must have included the cost of his
frequent travels, which allowance was
evidently set at 6s/4 per day.
Conclusion:
John Burrows was a careful man. He
Page 9
had kept or had access to a considerable
amount of relevant correspondence.2
Why? Possibly he had anticipated some
such an event where he would need to
support his position.
His position with Lt.­Col. By was
solid. Although not referenced here,
John had quoted correspondence and
referred to events that showed that he
had been the first choice to accompany
Lt.­Col. Fanshawe and the Canada
Committee in 1828. Only his illness at
the time prevented him from going. He
mentioned that By had visited him at
home to try to convince him to make
the trip.
Furthermore, Burrow’s relationship
with By was so firm that By had
entrusted management of his Canadian
properties to Burrows when By was
recalled to London to explain the great
cost over­runs of the Rideau Canal
construction. Burrows himself had
been an early investor in “Bytown”
properties and had accumulated 17
houses at the time of his death.
We can only imagine John’s
relationship with Thomas, but at least
Thomas had the satisfaction of out­
living him (if there was any satisfaction
in that). John died on July 27, 1848. He
was initially buried in Hull, but was
later brought to Beechwood Cemetery
in Ottawa.3
Thomas continued as Overseer of
Works and later, Clerk of Works, for
the southern portion of the canal until
his retirement in 1846. The misspelling
of his name continued, even in his local
area.4 A prodigious artist of the canal
and
surrounding
country
and
communities, he died in 1864.5
(Endnotes)
1 E.F. Bush, Burrows, John, www.
Biographia.ca/009004­11901­e.php? &
id_nbr=3278
2 Library and Archives Canada, MG13
W.O. 44/23, ff. 218­259, Reel B­1297
3 E. F. Bush, op.cit.
.....Cont'd page 12
HSO Newsletter
Page 10
Historia Poetice Aperta
William Wilfred Campbell,
Confederation Poet and
Philosopher: New Poems
Compiled by Bryan D. Cook,
January 2015
During my research of the life and
poetry of William Pittman Lett, I have
discovered two “lost” and important
poems of William Wilfred Campbell. I
published the first in the last
Newsletter and the second is
reproduced at the end of this article.
However, I thought we should know
something about him!
William Wilfred Campbell was a
member of the Canadian school of
“Confederation Poets” who were born
in the mid­19th century around the date
of the constitution of Canada as a
confederated Dominion of Britain in
1867. Northrop Frye saw their
distinctive Canadian romantic style and
effect on Canadian poetry as “very
much like the impact of the Group of
Seven
painting
two
decades
later…..like the later painters, these
poets were lyrical in tone and romantic
in attitude”. Still using the brushes of
the Victorian Romantics, they moved
away from heavy classical and
religious metaphor to paint in verse
their personal relationships with nature
and modern civilization. They never
considered themselves a cohesive
group. Indeed, some regard their
School as having been arbitrarily
defined to provide a powerful post
facto canon to celebrate the new
Dominion into the first quarter of the
20th century, with the effect of
retarding
the
development
of
Modernist Canadian poetry.
The Confederation School is
considered to have two geographic
branches: the Ottawa poets including
Archibald Lampman (1861­1899),
Duncan Campbell Scott (1862­1947)
and William Wilfred Campbell (1860­
Wilfred
Campbell
Commons)
(1860­1918)
(Wikimedia
1918), and the maritime poets,
including Charles G. D. Roberts (1860­
1943) and his cousin, Bliss Carmen
(1861­1929). Others have been added
to the School, including Frederick
George Scott (1861–1944), Francis
Joseph Sherman (1871–1926), Pauline
Johnson
(1861–1913)
George
Frederick Cameron (1854–1885), and
Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850–
1887). Campbell was the most
enigmatic of them all.
He was born in 1860 in Newmarket,
Upper Canada, the son of an alcoholic
clergyman whose wife was a gifted
pianist and composer. After teaching in
the Wiarton district for several years,
he studied divinity and theology and
was ordained in 1885. He secretly
married Mary Louisa Debelle in 1883
so that she not lose her teaching
position. They had four children. He
was a pastor at West Claremont N.H.,
St Stephen N.B. and Southampton,
Ont. but alienated his last congregation
as his religious beliefs evolved away
from classical dogma. In poor health,
he moved to Ottawa in 1891 for a
federal civil service job that fell
through. In 1915, Campbell moved
with his family to an old stone
September 2015
farmhouse on the outskirts of Ottawa,
which he named "Kilmorie". The house
still exists with its original stone wall
at 21 Withrow Avenue, (City View)
Nepean, off Merivale Road.
By 1891, Campbell was a well­
recognized and highly productive poet
who’s
lyrical
and
beautiful
compositions were featured in the most
prestigious magazines in North
America. His muse was God’s
presence expressed in Nature. Sir John
A. Macdonald habitually hired poets;
in 1891 he hired Campbell as a
temporary clerk for $1.50 a day in the
Department of Railways and Canals
and then in the Department of
Secretary of State in 1892. His success
as a poet prompted debates in the
House of Commons and the Senate to
give him a permanent positon; both
were defeated as creating unwanted
patronage precedence for artists.
However, he was so insistent that he
was quietly given a permanent job,
firstly in the Department of Militia and
Defence (1893), the Privy Council
Office (1897), the Archives Branch of
the Department of Agriculture (1908)
and the Dominion Archives in 1909.
From 1892 to 1893, he joined fellow
civil servants and Confederation poets
Duncan Campbell Scott and Archibald
Lampman, his next­door neighbor, in
writing a column of essays for the
Toronto Globe newspaper called “At
the Mermaid Inn”. It helped to pay his
bills but collapsed as William
continued to express his liberal and
unorthodox religious theories, seeking
to reconcile religion, science and
sociology. This blend, however,
appealed to the members of the Royal
Society of Canada who elected him a
member in 1894, and their vice­
president (1899­1900), president (1900­
1901) and secretary (1903­1911).
His poetry, verse dramas, pamphlets,
five novels and three works of non­
fiction
expressed
this
blended
philosophy and his patriotic British
September 2015
Imperialist politics. These principles
guided his choices for Poems of Loyalty
by British and Canadian Authors
(London, 1913) and for The Oxford
Book of Canadian Verse (Toronto,
1913); he somewhat egocentrically
devoted more pages in the latter to his
own poetry than to anyone else!
Throughout the Great War, he
distributed pamphlets of poems and was
seconded from the archives branch,
where he was working on Loyalist
historical projects, to the Imperial
Munitions Board, where he began a
history of the Canadian munitions
industry. He died of pneumonia on New
Year’s morning, 1918, and was buried
in Beechwood cemetery; a frank and
highly gifted Canadian poet, author and
provocative philosopher. William Lyon
McKenzie King and Viola Markham
bought his plot and memorial.
The following poem by Campbell,
“Bird on a Bough”, could not be found
in the usual anthologies of his work. It
is one of his Nature poems with only a
slight hint of God, represented by the
Sun. It celebrates springtime. It was
sent to W.P.Lett, signed personally and
from an early address for Campbell at
“24 Lisgar Street, Ottawa, Canada”. It
is an original, typed manuscript and
must have been composed shortly after
his arrival in Ottawa in 1891 judging
by the address and the fact that the
recipient, W.P.Lett, died in 1892.
*Biographical information has been
abstracted from: PoemHunter.com at
http://www.poemhunter.com/william­
wilfred­campbell/biography/
The
Dictionary
of
Canadian
Biography at http://www.biographi.ca
/en/bio/campbell_william_wilfred_14E
.html
Confederation Poets at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederat
ion_Poets
Poets’ Pathway at
http://www.poetspathway.ca/bio_camp
bell.htm
HSO Newsletter
Page 11
HSO Autumn Local
Aboriginal Excursion
Wed. 30th Sept/2015
to
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg
Cultural Centre of an
Algonquin Reserve near
Maniwaki, QC
Via Wakefield, covered
bridges & the Paugan dam,
and the "sculpted rocks"
of Cantley on the return
Lunch at the Cultural Centre
$65.00* for Tour & Lunch
Departures:
8:30 AM, St. Richard's
Anglican Church, Rossland Ave.
and Merivale Rd.
9:00 AM, St. Thomas the
Apostle Anglican Church
2345 Alta Vista Dr.
Reservations to Tour Leader
Jennifer Stelzer
613­729­0421
<[email protected]>
*Includes $15.00 Non­refundable
Pre­registration Fee to cover
the Cultural Centre Commitment
Entrance Locks were out of operation for 2 days in mid­July due to the east turning post of Gate #3 having
started to split. On the 2nd night, Parks Canada worked through the night to attach two 6" wide I­beams on each
side of the post to conserve its operation (see arrow). Obviously the post will have to be replaced after autumn
canal shut­down, but note the dilapitated state of the upper boardwalk of the same gate. Photo by G.Neville.
.....Cont'd from page 1
HSO Newsletter
Page 12
.....Cont'd from page 7
service station complex where our
local guide, James Forbes, departed by
taxi to St. Zotique to recover his car
and drive back to Les Cédres.
After a brief pause for a last comfort
stop, we were on our way by 3:15 PM
towards Ottawa.
The St. Thomas'
parking lot passengers were all
discharged by 4:55 PM and the St.
Richard's by 5:20 PM. It was a very full
day, executed in less time than I had
expected due in good measure to no
foul­ups, thanks to much late winter and
early spring scouting of the area and
sites by James Forbes, an HSO member
of 4 years whom we've never met
before and who has never been able to
get to one of our monthly meetings, but
who enjoys reading the HSO Newsletter
and Bytown Pamphlets.
September 2015
.....Cont'd from page 1
Society's computer resource person for
digital banking of selected HSO files,
compilation
of
AGM
Reports,
preparation of speaker certificates and
program cards ­ in short, the many
functions formerly performed by Don
Baxter. It was an intensive, full 2½­
hour meeting off to a wonderful start
and one from which all previous Board
members left feeling delighted,
energized, and renewed.
.....Cont'd from page 9
4 Militia of Upper Canada, with a
statement of the volunteer corps within
the province, and dates of commission,
&c., &c., &c., 1839. The list of names
of volunteers for the 3d Regiment
Frontenac contains the name “T.
Burrows” in the list of Lieutenants on
page 19: www.canadiana.org.
5 Brian S. Osborne, The Artist as
Historical Commentator: Thomas
Burrowes and the Rideau Canal,
Archivia 17 (winter 1983­84) p.49.
Interior view, octagonal blockhouse, Coteau­du­Lac. G. Neville.
The Historical Society of Ottawa
gratefully acknowledges the financial
support of the City of Ottawa and the
Ministry of Culture of the Government
of Ontario.
Ontario Historical Plaques
Someone has spent a lot of time
photographing and documenting the
Historical Plaques of Ontario. I am not
sure about, but I just about always stop
and take a minute to read these. I know
there are many I'll never get to, so this
is kind of a great little snapshot of what
is out there!
Jennifer Stelzer
See: http://www.ontarioplaques.com/
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