In 1833, By wrote to Gen. Robert Pilkington, Inspector General of Fortifications, asking that he be honoured with “some public distinction as will show that my character as a soldier is without stain, and that I have not lost the confidence or good opinion of my Government.” There is no record of Pilkington acting on By’s request. This painting by Canadian Charles W. Jefferys (1869-1951), entitled Colonel John By, shows the Royal Engineer directing early construction on the Rideau Canal in 1826. While historians agree that construction of the canal would likely never have been approved by any government had its actual costs been known at the start, the newly elected Whigs decided to make By the whipping boy for what they saw as the problems of previous governments. By expressed concern that the estimate was inadequate, and his own first detailed estimate, in 1827, was close to £475,000. The Rideau Centre opened in 1983. Very interesting! Significant funds were raised to make urgent repairs to the dilapidated building and the WCHSO took possession of the building in September of 1951. In 1915, two blocks from the demolished Sappers Bridge, the cornerstone of which was laid by By in 1827, were erected in Major’s Hill Park in his honour, and in 1925 the Rideau Canal was designated a National Historic Site. © 2020 Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Collect, Study and Preserve: A Brief History of the BYTOWN MUSEUM. 1832: The Rideau Canal is completed. They were rebuilt and parliament met in the new buildings for the first time in 1920. A Court of Inquiry fully exonerated By, but the charge left an indelible mark. The following year, a fountain dedicated to By – now located in Confederation Park – was unveiled. In 2016 the population of Ottawa was 964,000 . Why are names of streets changing? Meanwhile the city developed rapidly. Many of the items loaned would become some of the first permanent accessions into the collection, allowing the WCHSO to finally begin to fulfill its original mandate to collect and preserve. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. The Museum was opened on October 25, 1917 by Mayor Harold Fisher as “a museum for relics and souvenirs;” celebrating the occasion with its most comprehensive loans exhibition yet. Its almost 50 locks (some now combined)raise watercraft 83 metres from the Ottawa River to Newboro, then lower them 50 metres to Lake Ontario and Kingston. By is ordered back to Britain. The early years of the WCHSO consisted of the writing historical papers, regular meetings and “Loan Exhibitions” – displays that brought together artefacts from the private collections of the members and local history enthusiasts. Yet instead of retiring with the knighthood he perhaps hoped for, By endured his final days under a cloud of impropriety shaped by unfounded accusations and political expedience. The Museum was opened on October 25, 1917 by Mayor Harold Fisher as “a museum for relics and souvenirs;” celebrating the occasion with its most comprehensive loans exhibition yet. Peace Tower was built in 1927 as a tribute to the Canadians who died in the First World War. Grant Vogl, collections and exhibitions manager at the Bytown Museum, agrees, suggesting that Esther, By’s second wife, simply didn’t know his exact age. The College of Bytown was founded in 1848. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. Records from Lambeth also show a John By being buried there in 1775. Had he lived longer, By would have witnessed a further erosion of his legacy: Colonel’s Hill, where his house overlooked the canal, was renamed Major’s Hill Park for By’s replacement, Maj. Daniel Bolton. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. With no one championing his legacy, recognition for his accomplishments was slow in coming. Meanwhile, the Canadian Museum of Nature dates from 1856 and The National Gallery of Canada was founded in 1880. His wife resigned hers two years after that, while their daughters followed in 1842 and 1848. During the worst months of 1830, for example, from August through mid-September, almost 800 of the 1,300 men employed in the southern portion of the canal contracted malaria. During the 20th century, the government became the major employer in Ottawa. The Museum of Science and Technology opened in 1967. As daunting as these challengers were, By’s troubles began even before his 1826 appointment as superintending engineer for the canal. Within two decades of the canal’s completion, By’s branch of his family tree was extinguished. To obtain written permission to reproduce materials on this website, please contact the. The Museum of Civilization moved to a new building in 1989. In 1854 the railway reached Bytown. In 1854 the railway reached Bytown. In 1926, a small granite base for a statue of By was unveiled, but it would be 45 years before any statue appeared. On Friday, May 25, 1832, his canal completed, Lt.-Col. John By, his wife, Esther, and their two daughters, were aboard the 24-metre steamboat Pumper – renamed Rideau for the occasion – enjoying an inaugural cruise on the canal from Kingston to Ottawa. Afterward, the Ottawa River was a major transport artery. Construction begins in the fall. A welcome email is on its way. In the late 20th-century hi-tech industries became important in Ottawa. A master's student and a restoration builder are collaborating to apply 21st-century science to the 19th-century broad axes that put Ottawa and the Valley on the map. Four years earlier, By had completed work on the Rideau Canal, among North America’s most impressive feats of civil engineering. In 1954, Colonel By Drive was named, and By was designated a National Historic Person by Canada’s Historic Sites and Monuments Board. 1779: Born in Lambeth, England to George and Mary By. Today Ottawa is a flourishing city. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. In honour of the August long weekend, Colonel By Day, we bring you a profile of the illustrious founder of Bytown and the Rideau Canal. Under his direction and guidance, the officers, contractors and workers overcame almost insurmountable obstacles in a wilderness environment and managed to complete the work in five short construction seasons.”. Not much is known of John By’s personal life. By received his recall on Aug. 11, 1832, unaware that Parliament had asked for his removal, or that a parliamentary committee had already heard testimony on cost overruns. (It is now known as Hull). Notably, however, at every hearing held over the six years he was in charge, By had been repeatedly exonerated of any wrongdoing. The 202-kilometre Rideau Canal was built between 1826 and 1832 in the tense aftermath of the War of 1812 as an alternate military supply route between Upper and Lower Canada, should American forces blockade the St. Lawrence River between Kingston and Montreal. However permanent settlement did not begin until Philemon Wright founded a small town he called Wrightstown. The Smyth Commission’s estimate for the canal’s construction — £169,000 after adjustments for larger locks — was approved by Britain. By 1917 the burgeoning WCHSO was in dire need of a permanent home. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. 1831-32: A parliamentary committee in London investigates cost overruns for the canal. What city was called bytown? 1811: Takes part in the Peninsular War in Portugal. Additionally, many workers died in blasting explosions or were crushed by falling rocks or trees. 1802: Posted to Quebec City, and the following year begins reconstruction of the Cascades Canal on the St. Lawrence River. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Billings Bridge Shopping Centre opened in 1954 and Carlingwood Mall opened in 1956. Samuel de Champlain visited the area where Ottawa now stands in 1613. Ottawa is also an important shopping centre. “By’s greatest contribution to the Canal,” wrote Mark Andrews in For King and Country, his 1998 biography of By, “and the reason for which he should be highly regarded, comes from his ability to mobilize, direct, and instill a desire to succeed in all those who were involved. Then in 2001, the O train began running in Ottawa. All Rights Reserved. Then in 1826, the Rideau Canal linked the site of present-day Ottawa to the Lawrence River. Get started here. Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. It became the Royal Canadian Mint in 1931. 1828: The Kempt Commission approves By’s expanded plan for the canal. Fascinating displays cover the building of the locks, foundation of Bytown which would later be renamed Ottawa, establishment of supply routes, political struggles for land back in the day between French, English and USA. Detail from a map drawn by Lt. Col. John By in January 1821, showing Ottawa (then Bytown) and the proposed Rideau Canal. After years of wandering, the former City Registry Office, located at 70 Nicholas Street, was acquired and renamed the Bytown Historical Museum. The College of Bytown was founded in 1848. Meanwhile the city developed rapidly. The couple has two daughters. In 1830, a new government was elected in Britain, ending almost a quarter-century of Tory rule. The city that was previously called Bytown is a city that is now called Ottawa which can be found in Canada. The Society opened its membership to men and changed its name to the Historical Society of Ottawa in 1956. The St Laurent Centre opened in 1967 and Bayshore Shopping Centre opened in 1973. “Zealous and distinguished in his profession, tender and affectionate as a husband and a father, charitable and pious as a Christian, beloved by his family and lamented by the poor, he resigned his soul to his Maker, in a full reliance on the merits of his blessed Redeemer, on the 1st February 1836, aged 53 years, after a long and painful illness brought on by his indefatigable zeal and devotion in the service of his King and Country, in Upper Canada.” – Inscription on a memorial to Lt.-Col. John By, erected by his wife Esther in the Church of St. Alban in Frant, England. A SHORT HISTORY OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA. A historic building Laurier House was built in 1878. By, meanwhile, worked for, and answered to, the Ordnance Department, the engineering and fortifications branch of the British military. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Biographer Mark Andrews argued in favour of the date promoted by By’s wife, suggesting that the 1779 baptism record may have been for an earlier sibling, also named John, who died in infancy; it was not uncommon then for parents to re-use given names, and an affidavit prepared in the 1850s by a neighbour of the Bys states that five By children died in infancy. ... A bytown is a town which has its own name and postal code, but which is governed by another town. The task itself was extremely dangerous. © Bytown Museum 2020. Buildings, a school and the local civic holiday in August have subsequently been named for him, and a postage stamp bearing his likeness was issued in 1979. Most sources, however, including The Canadian Encyclopedia, the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and historian Robert Legget, use the 1779 date. At various locks along his journey, crowds gathered to cheer as cannons thundered. When the Museum reopened in 1985 BYTOWN MUSEUM Treasures highlighted key artefacts and recent acquisitions including some of our most iconic pieces. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. In 1948 the Commissariat at the Ottawa Locks was proposed. There are several parking stations near the Markets which are close by. The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will soon be in your inbox. However, they were destroyed by fire in February 1916. In 1855, Bytown was renamed Ottawa. Bytown Museum opened in 1917. In September 1826, as he stood at Entrance Valley on the south side of the Ottawa River where the first lock was to be built, By faced a task every bit as daunting as the high cliffs that surrounded him.
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