History of Ottawa
Ottawa is a city with an interesting history, and visitors who like to take the time to learn something about the destination they are visiting, will find plenty of museums giving detailed insights into the most significant aspects of the city's past.
Early days
The first settlers in the region we now know as Ottawa were members of the Algonquin tribe, who named the river on which they built their settlements the Kichesippi, meaning ‘Great River', and they called themselves the Kichesippirini, meaning ‘People of the Great River'.
The first European settlers, meanwhile, were those who formed part of the community started by Philemon Wright on the Quebec side of the river, in 1800. Wright was responsible for starting up the timber trade in the area, which rapidly brought prosperity and new residents.
Recent times
In the years subsequent to the War of 1812 (between Canada and the United States), the area saw an influx of Irish immigrants under government-sponsored immigration schemes, and these people, along with French Canadians from Quebec, helped swell the population of Ottawa significantly.
The new settlers formed the larger part of the workforce, employed to build the Rideau Canal, and with its completion, the area's population grew greater still, as a safe and rapid passage between Ontario and Montreal was established. The canal was largely responsible for bringing a new prosperity to Ottawa through its facilitation of the opening of a new trade route between the city and Montreal.
The timber industry also continued to flourish in the three decades following the opening of the canal, and the wealth it generated allowed residents to build stores, banks, small factories, churches and schools.
In 1857, the city's status was further elevated when it was chosen by Queen Victoria as the common capital of the province of Canada (then comprising of only Quebec and Ontario). Stories exist as to how the Queen made her choice, with the most popular being that she closed her eyes and stuck her hatpin in a map. Whether these tales hold any element of truth is debatable; however, the real reason would appear to be a compromise between Montreal and Toronto, who were both candidates.
Disaster struck the city twice in the 20th century, with the first catastrophic episode occurring on April 26, 1900, in the form of the fire that having started in Hull, was carried across Ottawa by the wind, bringing with it a trail of destruction. The second event occurred on 3 February, 1916, when again, a fire decimated the greater part of the city's parliamentary buildings.
The city recovered successfully from both events and in the latter part of the 20th century, saw significant development and modernisation as further sources of wealth poured into its already flourishing economy.
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