In This Issue:President's Report: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 1Coming Events: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 2HSO Speaker Profiles for Sept. ­ Nov. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 3Past HSO Use of Computers and Databases ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­4Report on the Launch of The Franklin Mystery at LAC­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 4Report of the HSO Excursion to Soulanges St. Lawrence Canals ­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 5Burrowing into Burrow(e)s­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 8Historia Poetice Aperta ­ Wm. Wilfred Campbell: New Poems ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 10HSO Autumn Local Aboriginal Excursion Announcement ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 11Ontario Historical Plaques ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 12

President’s Reportby George Neville

Following the 2014 Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) of The HistoricalSociety of Ottawa (HSO) on 29 May2015, the first meeting of the newlyelected Board of Directors, with fournew Directors, was held on 15 June2015. More about that later in thisreport, but on the eve of this Boardmeeting, Past President and member ofthe Board for the past 12 years, AlanMcLay telephoned Neville to informhim that he had decided to step downfrom office but would be present forthis meeting of the new Board.

Alan had been recruited by Boardmember, George Toller, in 2001 tohelp fill some committee positions of aBoard of 15 Directors under PresidentCliff Scott (2001­2003) who succeededMary Anne Dancey (2000­2001).Although a resolve by the Board hadbeen taken as far back as 1996 toseparate the operations of the BytownMuseum from the HSO, no concreteaction had been taken on the matteruntil Cliff Scott's presidency when heled the HSO divestment. At the 13June 2003 AGM, a Motion forseparation of operations andmanagement of the Museum from theSociety was solidly accepted. Duringthat summer when Alan and his wife,Mary, were away at their cottage onGeorgian Bay, Board member, JosephKonst (President, 1993­1995) draftedmotions and terms for separation intime for the first Executive meeting inSeptember, 2003. At that meeting,Scott stated that he would withdrawand retire as president on 31December. Later, Scott got Toller andMcLay together to urge either one to

become President in 2003, but neitherwanted to take on the position. By theOctober, 2003 Board meeting, Scotthad prevailed so strongly on AlanMcLay that he relented and agreed tostand as Cliff's successor. In the timebefore the spring AGM, Joe Konst andanother pro bono lawyer (the late)Ronald E. Williams, who had servedon the Board of the Bytown Museum,completed writing terms of agreementfor separation of the operation of theBytown Museum from that of theHSO, and it therefore devolved uponAlan McLay as President (2003­2009)to negotiate with an independentMuseum Board its separation, claim toartefacts, retention and claim by theHSO to the Rare and Reference Librarybooks and HSO right to Office space inthe Museum, a task of ongoinginteraction over many, many months.

Alan McLay served the HSO wellduring a turbulent, pivotal time ofmuch transition and adjustment. Heprovided steady, stable administrationunder abnormally trying conditions forwhich he deserves full recognition andgrateful appreciation for his enduranceand abiding concern for the HSO. Wewish him well in his retirement now asPast President of the HSO Board ofDirectors, the right person serving

The Historical Society ofOttawa News

ISSN 1207­1838 Issue No. 150 September 2015nobly over a protracted period ofprogressive but necessary change.

The HSO is also very fortunate tohave had four strong, enthusiasticmembers step forward to become newDirectors of the Society: JenniferStelzer, Ian Badgley, James Powell,and George Shirreff. At the firstmeeting of the Board on 15 June, itbecame very clear from the activeparticipation of the new members andtheir readiness for taking on tasks thatnew energy was forthcoming. TheBoard agreed to create a transitionalposition of Vice President (Pro Tem)with George Shirreff accepting the roleto begin in November. Jennifer Stelzerhad earlier expressed interest in takingon Tour planning and leading, and shecame to the meeting prepared withsuggestions for an autumn excursion toaboriginal sites for which Ian Badgleywas able on the spot to suggestappropriate contacts and resources thatwill be pursued in the next few weeks.James Powell not only agreed tobecome the new HSO website liaisonperson but also, in due course, to workwith webmaster, John Reeder, toassume the operation and design of thewebsite as a Director. In addition, hegraciously accepted to become the

.....Cont'd page 12

Coming EventsFriday, September 25

Speaker: Jaime Koebel"Indigenous History in Walksabout Ottawa"Routhier Community Centre*1:00 p.m.

Friday, October 30Speaker: Meredith Brown,Ottawa River Keeper"Ottawa Shaped by its River"Routhier Community Centre*1:00 p.m.

Friday, November 27Speaker: John Morgan"Alexander Mackenzie ­ ClearGrit (All sand and no dirt)"Routhier Community Centre*1:00 p.m.

A note regarding Membership renewals ­ For regular members ofThe Historical Society of Ottawa, your renewal date is shown on youraddress label on this newsletter. Please check it and see that you areup­to­date. If not, a renewal form is available for you to photocopy onthe last page of this newsletter, or just send us a cheque that showsyour current address and phone number.

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, outreachand participation in local heritage events and also by its co­operation with the Bytown Museum, a store ofartifacts reflecting Ottawa's history from Bytown days and into the present century. Its P.O. Box is shared withthe Bytown Museum, Lt.­Col. By's Commissariat Building, constructed of stone in 1827 and located at 1 CanalLane by the Rideau Canal between the Château Laurier and Parliament Hill.

Page 2 HSO Newsletter September 2015

The Historical Society of OttawaPatron: His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.

Governor General of Canada

Board Of DirectorsPresident: George Neville george.neville@ncf.ca 613­729­0579Secretary: Margaret Back EA590@freenet.carleton.ca 613­236­7166Treasurer: Kery Peterson­Beaubien

kpetersonbeaubien@yahoo.ca 613­565­0277Ian Badgley ianbadgley@videotron.ca 819­777­7922Ed Bebee edbebee@sympatico.ca 613­741­7838Mary Edwards medwards9@sympatico.ca 613­824­5490Grace Lewis gracelewis17@gmail.com 613­294­2860James Powell jamespowell@rogers.com 613­723­1978Don Ross donross@magma.ca 613­592­2539George Shirreff shirreff@rogers.com 613­692­9080Jennifer Stelzer fishonskis@gmail.com 613­729­0421

CommitteesAwards George NevilleMembership Chair Don RossNominations George Neville, Don Ross, Mary EdwardsNewsletter Arthur Beaubien (arthurbeaubien@gmail.com)Publications Ed Bebee (edbebee@sympatico.ca)Telephone Tree Barbara Whitfield, Pat RichardsonTours Coordinator George Neville, Jennifer StelzerWeb Liaison James Powell (jamespowell@rogers.com)Webmaster John Reeder (jareeder@rogers.com)

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: hsottawa@storm.ca HSO Web Site: http://hsottawa.ncf.ca

*Parking at the Routhier Community Centre ­ from Cumberland St., between St. Patrick St. and Guigues Ave.

Christmas LunchDecember 2, 2015

12:30 p.m.St. Richard's Ang. Church Hall

Via parking lot NW cornerof Rossland & Merivale Rd.

For information on Menu &Program

please contact:Mary Edwards, 613­824­5490medwards9@sympatico.ca

orDon Ross, 613­592­2539

donross@magma.ca

HSO Newsletter Page 3September 2015

Drawing on family, archival andother records, I hope to shed some lighton the character and accomplishmentsof Mackenzie, along with theinfluences that propelled him from hishumble beginnings to the highestposition in the land.

This will begin with his earlychildhood in Scotland; immigration toCanada with his sweetheart; tragediesand triumphs as a young husband andstonemason in Upper Canada West;early political activities; time as primeminister; and later political years inopposition.

In many respects, AlexanderMackenzie was the antithesis ofMacdonald. Known for his utmosthonesty, integrity and hard work,Mackenzie sought no recognition orreward 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 anation, Mackenzie declined three offersof knighthood and almost came toblows with the Queen’s representativeto Canada. Described at the time as“one of the truest and strongestcharacters to be met within Canadianhistory” and “the best debater theHouse of Commons has ever known”,his is a compelling story of duty andhonour.

Profile. John Morgan is a great­greatgrandson of Alexander Mackenzie.He attended Glebe Collegiate and thenQueen’s University where he obtainedhis B. Comm in 1976. After obtaininghis CA designation, he went on to work20 years at Canada Mortgage andHousing Corporation and then 12 yearsat the Office of the ComptrollerGeneral of Canada.

He retired a few years ago as theAssistant Comptroller General ofCanada responsible for government­wide financial management. Johnhelped Canada achieve recognition for

HSO Speaker Profiles for MonthlyMeetings, Sept. ­ Nov., 2015

25th Sept. 2015 ­ HSO Speaker:Jaime Koebel ­ "Indigenous Historyin Walks About Ottawa"

Abstract. Indigenous Walks is aguided walk and talk throughdowntown Ottawa that explores thesocial, political and culturalenvironments through monuments,architecture & landscape through anIndigenous perspective. The talk willbe a photographic presentation of local& national sites based in the history ofIndigenous realities including theNorthwest Resistance, prominentIndigenous leaders as well as policiesthat have affected the lives ofIndigenous nations.

Profile. Jaime Koebel isNehiyaw/Michif from Lac La Biche,AB. She has lived in Ottawa since 2000& has an educational background inCanadian & Indigenous Studies fromCarleton University. She has workedfor several Indigenous organizationsand has acquired cultural knowledgethroughout her life. Jaime has dedicatedher time to educating others aboutIndigenous issues at local, national &international levels through dance, thearts and cultural awareness. She beganthe company Indigenous Walks in thespring of 2014 and continues to expandin exciting directions.

30th Oct. 2015 ­ HSO Speaker:Meredith Brown ­ "Ottawa ­Shapedby Its River"

Abstract. The Ottawa River hasquenched our thirst, shaped our historyand continues to provide energy,connect and sustain our communities.Unfortunately the fishery can no longersustain us and the chemicals we pourdown our drains are turning up in ourdrinking water. We are forgetting howwater shapes us, and how we shape it

in return. Learn how pollution in theOttawa River has influenced nationalwater laws and why our nationaltreasure has yet to be designated aCanadian Heritage River.

Profile. As the Ottawa Riverkeeper,Meredith Brown is a strongindependent voice for the Ottawa Riverand advocate for improved waterprotection in Canada. Since 2004, shehas significantly raised the profile ofthe Ottawa River and brought importantissues such as sewage dumping andradioactive waste to the attention of thepublic and decision­makers. TheRiverkeeper is regularly called on tocomment on issues that impact the riverand to provide insightful solutions andrecommendations to improve the healthand future of the Ottawa River.

Meredith holds biology andenvironmental engineering degreesfrom Queen¹s University and theUniversity of Guelph. She also earned aMasters in Resource and EnvironmentalManagement from Simon FraserUniversity, with an emphasis on watermanagement and public policy.Meredith¹s leadership and collaborativeapproach has brought excellent resultsand connected key players throughoutthe watershed. Meredith organized thefirst ever Ottawa River Summit thatbrought Mayors, First Nation Chiefsand key agency players together toaddress the future of the Ottawa River.Meredith sits on many advisorycommittees around the watershed andwas recently named a Fellow of theRoyal Canadian Geographical Society.

27th Nov. 2015 ­ HSO Speaker: JohnMorgan ­ "Alexander Mackenzie –Clear Grit (all sand and no dirt)”

Abstract. If Sir John A. Macdonaldhelped define “what” we are,Alexander Mackenzie, Canada’sstonemason prime minister, helpeddefine “who” we are.

Page 4 HSO Newsletter

Report on the Launch of TheFranklin Mystery at Libraryand Archives Canada (LAC)

by Mary Edwards

I was surprised to not see any of theother HSO Directors at this event. Itwas very worthwhile. I was pleased toreceive the invitation.

I enjoyed the morning at LAC onThursday attending the launch of theFranklin Mystery from 10 am to 12Noon. The “Welcome” was given bythe head librarian and archivist at LAC,Guy Berthiaume. Master of Cere­monies was Prof. Chad Gaffield fromthe History Dept. of Ottawa U. Thiswas followed by “throat singing” by 2little 5­year­old girls, accompanied by2 little boys on drums, all from theOttawa Inuit Children’s Centre. Verysweet. Introduction to the FranklinMystery was by Lyle Dick, historianand Past­President of The CanadianHistorical Association and ResearchDirector for the Franklin Mystery.Remarks on the significance of theInuit in the Franklin Mystery weremade by Louie Kamookak, followedagain by the children singing anddrumming. They were all great.

Then, the most interesting talk wasby Marc­André Bernier, Manager,Underwater Archaeology, ParksCanada. His remarks were on thesearch for Franklin’s lost vessels andthe discovery of HMS Erebus. He wasthe main diver in this search by ParksCanada. I remembered seeing him inthe Franklin documentary on TVrecently, along with a younger manfrom Parks Canada, also a diver, thatwas present. Before the closingremarks were given, there was a soloperformance of Northwest Passagesung by Ken Lavigne that brought meclose to tears. Ken was accompaniedon the stage by a pianist on a grandpiano. (I don’t remember his name.)Closing remarks were by AlanLatourelle, CEO, Parks Canada.

Afterwards, there was a reception withlight refreshments and a chance tomingle. Among others, I was pleasedto have the opportunity to talk withboth Marc­André Bernier and KenLavigne and tell them how impressed Iwas with the work they have done andtheir participation in this event. Therewas a huge crowd. I was pleased theyhad invited a number of elementaryand high school students and theirteachers to attend this event. As well,there were a number of universitystudents studying science (archeologyor biology, in particular). Altogether,it was suggested there were about 200individuals in the auditorium audience.All in all, a very interesting morning.

leadership in financial management withthe adoption of full accrual accountingpolicies, and attained many years ofclean, unqualified, audit opinions on theGovernment’s financial statements. Hewas honoured with the Queen’sDiamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for hiscontribution to financial management inthe Government of Canada.

John spoke at the Government ofCanada’s commemoration ceremony ofMackenzie’s grave site in Sarnia andalso on CPAC’s The Prime Ministersepisode on Mackenzie. In retirement,he has enjoyed the arrival of fourgrandchildren and sorting throughmany family records for donation tothe Canadian War Museum and theLibrary and Archives Canada.

September 2015

Past HSO Use of Computersand Databases

by Don Baxter

Further to the President's Report in theJune Newsletter, we did indeed do theLibrary database, which had about2400 items ­ given to the City libraryalong with the books. TheMembership database, for Don Ross,has about 600 records ­ current andhistorical. The Archives database hadsome 1600 items and was used byGrace Lewis during the transfer to theCity. The Badges database, for DonCarrington, had some 4100 records init and was used during the sales inSeptember 2010, conducted byMarway Militaria, Canada's oldestestablished Auction House formilitaria and police collectibles. Thebiggest one was the Collectionsdatabase, which had some 12,000items ­ Grant Vogl used it for sometime with the Bytown Museumacquisitions. We certainly used itduring HSO transfer of artifacts to theCity Archives.

Editor's Note: James Powell hasgraciously agreed to succeed DonBaxter as keeper of digital records forthe HSO.

~ ~ ~

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Report of the HSO Excursion toSoulanges St. Lawrence Canals& Vaudreuil Co. LakeshoreRoad, 25th June 2015

By George Neville

How fortunate to have had a perfectsunny, comfortably warm excursionday with clear atmosphere for distantviewing after so many rainy days thisJune! All 15 passengers were on boardthe Healey coach when it left St.Richard's Anglican Church parking loton Merivale Rd. at Rossland 10minutes early (7:50 AM) providingextra time to pick up twice that numberof travellers at St. Thomas the ApostleAnglican church on Alta Vista Dr.beside the fire station at Randall Ave.Just as the bus began to enter theparking lot where a car ahead hadslowed to a stop, and with the busstraddling the two lanes of Alta Vista,suddenly two fire trucks emerged withsirens blaring, but luckily headingsouth on Alta Vista away from ourroad blockage. Such an occurrancehad never before been experienced!

With 45 passengers on board (one noshow), we set forth south on Alta Vistato Heron Rd., thence east on Heron andWalkley Rd. to take Hwy 417 east tothe Highland Road exit. Travellingsouth on the Highland, we passedthrough Maxville to reach Hwy 43,then east on #43 for a short distance tocontinue south through Apple Hill toMartintown. At the T­junction inMartintown's main street (Dundass St.),

HSO Newsletter Page 5

we turned right and went west 2 blocksto park on the west side of the GrandHotel (9:45 AM) where we hadarranged with its owner, Marilyn, for acomfort stop. Marilyn ushered us inthe back way that provided a gentleramp; she had been waiting for us since9:30 AM since the hotel normallydoesn't open until 11:00 AM. What apleasant and unsuspected ambiance toencounter. The building had been aformer stagecoach stop on the mainroad between Montreal and Toronto,and during renovations, Marilyn hadsaved as much of the old features aspossible so that today it is a popularplace for musical evenings, weddingparties, and other events.

Leaving Martintown at 10:10 AM,we continued east on Route 18 (theKing's Hwy) passing through St.Raphaels, Brown House Corner, PineHill, North Lancaster, Bridge Endcatching beautiful vistas of theAdironnack Mountains to the southbeyond the St. Lawrence River. Aftercrossing the border into Quebécprovince and a short distance west ofSt. Télesphore, we turned south onHwy 325, and towards its end, passedover Hwy 20 to reach a T­junctin withHwy 338 where we turned left toproceed towards St. Zotique on the St.Lawrence. On the western edge of St.Zotique, named for St. Zoticus ofComana, we picked up our local guide,James Forbes (HSO member form Les

Cédres, QC) standing on the RHS ofthe road under two large signs "Resto"and "Marche Amis" holding a Quebécflag in one hand.

Up to this point, photocopied arraysof maps and site illustrations had beendistribued to passengers briefed on thefour major sets of rapids beginning inthe east at Pointe de Cascades (on theedge of Lake St. Louis), and up river alittle from that, Split Rock, then themid­way rapids at the Cedars (LesCédres), and finally the massiveCoteaux rapids at the eastern side ofLake St. Francis just below CoteauLanding and near the village ofSoulanges. All these rapids had beenbypassed by the first BeauharnoisCanal (named after the Seigneury ofBeauharnois) constructed to a depth of9 ft. on the south side and close to theriver from Melocheville to Valleyfieldand completed in 1845. A new canalto a depth of 15 ft. (the SoulangesCanal named after the SoulangesSeigneury) was started in 1891 on thenorth side of the river from Lake St.Louis, just north of Pointe­de­Cascades, to Coteau Landing on LakeSt. Francis. It was completed in 1899consisting of five locks (280' x 46')over a distance of 15 miles that raisedor lowered shipping for a total of 84feet. The Soulanges Seigneury hadbeen granted in 1702 by GovernorLouis­Hector de Callière to Pièrre­Jacques de Joybert, Knight and Lord of

September 2015

Grand Hotel on Dundass Street, Martintown, ON,the old stagecoach inn on the main road betweenMontreal and Toronto. Photo courtesy of G. Neville.

Map showing the path of the two canals, Beauharnois & Soulanges, that were built to bypass the rapidsbetween Lake St. Francis and Lake St. Louis. The southern route, or Beauharnois Canal, from what is nowValleyfield to the village of Melocheville, was completed in 1845. The northern route, or Soulanges Canal,opened in 1899. Photo (SHSC001 Map) from stlawrencepiks.com

Page 6 HSO Newsletter

Soulanges. It was at this time thatDavid Rudkin, HSO member, providedsome archival photos of constructionactivities for the Soulanges Canal,which were circulated among theexcursionists. He also circulated aphotocopy of the coverpage of thepaper read by Mrs. L.N. Rhéaume atthe monthly meeting of the Women'sCanadian Historical Society of Ottawaon 10th January 1908 entitled,"ORIGIN of the CORNWALL andWILLIAMSBURG CANALS".

From St­Zotique, we continued easton Hwy 338 through Coteau Landing,Soulanges to Coteau­du­Lac (meaningthe hill to the lake). Before reaching it,we turned right off Hwy 338 followingthe brown Parks Canada 'Lieuhistorique' signs into Coteau­du­Lac toget onto Chemin du Fleuve that wetook west a couple of blocks to reachthe entrance to the Parks CanadaNational Historic Site, the British Fortof Coteau­du­Lac, south of the cheminand facing the eastern portion of theCoteaux rapids. Here we visited thereception centre first to be briefed byattendant, Simon, using a dome­covered model of the whole fortress

area before strolling about the groundsand visiting the octagonal blockhousebuilt of squared logs. Between theblockhouse and the canon installationat the point overlooking the rapids, is asimulated reconstruction of the first18th century canal and locking systemof its kind in North America.

During the American War ofIndependence (1776­1783), the Swiss­born Governor of Quebéc, FrederickHaldimand ordered a canal to be dug atCoteau­du­Lac at the junction of theDelisle and St. Lawrence Rivers bymembers of the King's Royal Regimentof New York. Construction was begunin 1779 under the supervision of Capt.William Twiss, and it was completed15 February 1781. The canal wasapproximately 100 metres in length,2.5 metres in width, with three locks(12 m long and 1.8 m wide with a draftof about 80 cm) accommodating a dropof about 2 metres between the top andbottom of the rapids at that site. Whileat this site as an excursionist with us,Ian Badgley, HSO Director and alsothe sole archaeologist of the NationalCapital Commission (NCC), spoke toseveral of us about his archaeologicalwork here some years ago, and hekindly provided me with the followingsummary for this report:

"Archaeological work carried out inthe late 1960s as part of the restorationprogram of the 19th century BritishFort at Les Coteaux was focused on theexcavation of the cloverleaf bastion.These excavations yielded a substantialpre­contact artifact collection,including numerous stone, bone andantler tools as well as pot sherds.These artifacts show that the site wasintermittently occupied or used forsome 5,000 years, principally as ahunting and fishing station. Theexcavations also uncovered two pre­contact burials, one containing theremains of a robust adult male about 41years old and the other consisting of anadult female, with an infant, about 18

September 2015

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.

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 Coteau­du­Laccanal built on site, 1781. Above photos by G. Neville.

HSO Newsletter Page 7

months old, lying on her chest."After spending about an hour visiting

the historic fort site, we departed at12:00 noon proceeding east along theold road (Chm. de Fleuve ­ in Frenchany river that flows into the ocean is a'fleuve'; hence Fleuve de St­Laurentand Rivière d'Ottawa). About 5 kmeast, we passed on the south thebackside of the Manoir Beaujeu (anOpus Dei retreat) completely shroudedby thick evergreens. About another 1.5km east on the north side of the roadset in a distance on a water coursedrawn from the 'fleuve' was a red brickChateau­style electric power plant builtin 1899, most likely discharging itswater into the Soulanges Canalcompleted at the same time.

The Soulanges Canal operation waspowered by the small electricalgenerating station named "Le PetitPouvoir" located near the middle of hecanal. It provided power for themotorized lock gates, electricaloperation of swing bridges, andillumination of the entire length of thecanal at night. It was the first canal inthe world to have its entire passagewaylit by night enabling 24­hr operation.By 1958 when the St. LawrenceSeaway was opened, operation of theSoulanges Canal and its electricalgenerating station was terminated andreplaced by a much wider and deepernew Beauharnois Canal located in thesouthern part of Grande Île, but stillrunning from Melocheville to present

day Salaberry­de­Valleyfield.A little further east on Chm. du

Fleuve, we turned north a shortdistance to continue east on Hwy 338along stretches of intact SoulangesCanal, and at one point, viewed an oldlock and some impressive stoneworkbridging without guard railings. Wecontinued east on Hwy 338 to Dorionwhere we turned right onto Route 20until Exit 31 (Anciens desCombattants) to go into Ste­Anne­de­Bellevue and turning left ontoLakeshore Blvd. at the river's edgepassing through the village and past itstwo locks between Lac St­Louis andLac de Deux Montagnes to reach theJohn Abbott College (English CEGEP)for box lunches in its Stewart Buildingdining hall, arriving at 12:50 PM.

By 2:00 PM, we were on the coachagain departing westward on Route 40heading for Exit 35 to Hudson on theold shore road of Vaudreuil Co. alongthe south shore of the Ottawa River.James Forbes had scouted out all of theSoulanges Canal roads as well as sitesof interest along this shore road towhich he drew our attention. Althoughwe did not take the side road west intoComo, it was pointed out that theOttawa Glassworks had been makingglass window panes and electricalinsulators from the early 1800s fromthe fine quality locally occurring sand.By the middle of the 19th century, theOttawa Glassworks with its two sites(east and west and its community, gaveup its name for 'Como' in anticipationof Bytown being renamed Ottawa. Alittle further west of the west OttawaGlassworks, another glass factory,Canada Glassworks, was established.

Further west along this Main Rd. ofthe District of Hudson, we stopped for30 minutes at Greenwood House (aCentre for Living History established in1994 when it was bequeathed toCanadian Heritage of Quebéc) that quitedelighted everyone with its extensivecollections of many roomfuls of

tastefully selected and arrangedartefacts. The house is surrounded bylovely gardens extending to the edge ofLake of Two Mountains with Okaacross the way to the south­east. Thehouse dates from 1732 when it was builtby Jean­Baptiste Sabourin. In 1820, theproperty was purchased by PeterFrancis Christian Delesderniers as aresidence and general store. WhenP.F.C. Delesderniers married AmeliaRice in 1824, the house was given thename, Greenwood. In 1841 the firstPost Office in the area was establishedwith P.F.C. Delesderniers asPostmaster. In 1924, Greenwood wasacquired by Dr. F.J. Shepherd, McGillProfessor of Anatomy (1875), grandsonof P.F.C. Delesderniers for his daughter,Mary Cecilia, and her husband PercyNobbs, Dean of Architecture of McGill(1903), and from 1960­1994Greenwood was the permanent home ofPhoebe Nobbs Hyde, gt­gt­gd­daughterof P.F.C. Delesderniers.

A little further west up the road wecame upon St. James' Anglican Church(on the RHS) located in HudsonHeights, Vaudreuil Co., on landdonated by Capt. R.S. Robins and hiswife Hannah Schneider, built in 1842and surrounded by its cemetery. Rev.James W. Pyke (1816­1896) was thefirst ordained minister of St. James'Anglican Church, posted to Cavagnalin 1841 in the newly created Parish ofVaudreuil. Finally, a little further weston the road we encountered a series of'millionaire' homes, all on the RHS, thelake side; then we continued on toreach Exit 17 to rejoin Hwy 40 and a

.....Cont'd page 12

September 2015

Greenwood House in Vaudreuil County, 254 MainRd. situated on Lac des Deux Montagnes. G. Neville.

Old hydroelectric generating station on SoulangesCanal near Les Cèdres. © Ministère de la Culture etdes Communications, Jean­François Rodrigue, 2004.

HSO Newsletter

Burrowing into Burrow(e)s

by Edward Bebee

IntroductionThe name of Burrow(e)s wasprominent in the early days of RideauCanal construction. John Burrows wasthe Overseer of Works for the stretchBytown to First Rapids; ThomasBurrowes (no relation) was hiscounterpart for the rest of the projectdown to Kingston Mills. Thepossibility of confusing the two men isevident. That it was not realized untilthe project was essentially complete isremarkable. This little note skips along,focusing on: what happened; when;suggesting why.

BackgroundJohn Burrows started adult life as acivil engineer and a Lieutenant in theBritish Militia Prince of WalesRegiment.1 Arriving in Canada, hefound employment as a surveyor alongthe Ottawa River. On December 28,1820, he was appointed a ProvincialLand Surveyor. John was an ardentMethodist, who established a chapeland taught Sunday School. Above all,John was a man who always kept hiseye on the main chance.

Thomas Burrowes had been aCorporal in the British Army inKingston. Transferred back to England,he bought his way out and, with thedeath of his father, went back to theKingston area. He was well­regardedby local officers in the Royal Engineersand was recommended to Lt.­Col. Bywhen the Rideau Canal project wasstarting up.

The BeginningBoth men started canal work on thesame day; September 26, 1826. Johnbegan at a salary of seven shillings (7s)per day; Thomas at five shillings (5s)per day until Spring, 1827, when hissalary rose to seven shillings, six pence(7/6) per day. They worked together inBytown and John helped Thomas tobecome a surveyor.

In early 1829 Thomas wastransferred to Brewers Upper Millsunder Captain Briscoe. In May, hissalary was increased to 10s per day.

On 2 April 1830, Lt.­Col. Byrecommended that John Burrows’salary be increased from 7/6 to 13s perday. There was “push back” on 1 July1830 from the “Honourable Board” inMontreal, asking why so large anincrease was recommended andapproving an increase in salary to 10sper day, effective 1 April 1830.

Note that this would mean thatThomas had been paid more than Johnfor nearly a year. John seemed to beunaware of this.

On 30 October 1830, By replied tothe Respective Officers of HisMajesty’s Ordnance in Quebec. He setout his reasons for his recommendationof a major increase in salary for JohnBurrows. By stated that Burrows hadperformed similar duty to that of theClerk of Works, who received 14s perday. Accordingly, a salary of 13s perday was reasonable for the Overseer ofWorks in Bytown, John Burrows.

This recommendation was acceptedby the Master General and Board, whoapproved the increase to 13s per dayeffective 1 April 1830.

Now John is being paid 3s per daymore than Thomas.

1832 and BeyondEverything went smoothly until theCanal had been completed and theArmy turned its attention todetermining which of their employeesshould be retained as Permanent and beeligible for a pension upon retirement.

Lt.­Col. By repeated his recom­mendation that John Burrows receivehis present rate of pay – 13s per day forthe year 1832. This recommendationwas supported by the RespectiveOfficers in Quebec to the MasterGeneral and Board in a letter 26September 1832.

Captain Bolton, in the NominalReturn of the proposed Establishment

for the Rideau Canal dated 11 January1833, had identified “John Burrows(Overseer of Works) Recommendedfor Acting Clerk of Works”.

In a letter dated 23 October 1833 toCol. Fanshawe, By recommended JohnBurrows, then Acting Clerk of Works,as the best person to support Lt.­Col.Eliot, who was responsible forassessing damage caused by canalconstruction. In an order dated 1January 1834, Bolton told Burrows thathe was to be available to the EngineersOffice when his services were notrequired by Eliot.

In 1 July 1834 Thomas Burrowesdiscovered that John Burrows had beenpaid at a higher rate than he wasreceiving. Thomas referred to the letterfrom Lt.­Col. By in which By hadrecommended that John Burrows salarybe raised to 13s per day. Thomasasserted that Fanshawe was thedeciding factor in John getting thesalary increase; Fanshawe stated thathe knew the man and that he deservedthe increase.

Conflicting Memories and CopiesThomas pointed out that he hadaccompanied Fanshawe when he wastouring with the Canada Committee in1828, and that Fanshawe was muchimpressed with Thomas’ work.Thomas admitted that he was relyingupon what he had been told by thenClerk of Works, Nicholas Baird, aboutFanshawe’s support for the payincrease.

John responded to this by referringback to the letters written by Lt.­Col.By in which By specifically mentionedthe name “John Burrows” as being theperson deserving of the pay increase.He agreed that Fanshawe supported theincrease and no doubt may have beenthinking of Thomas Burrowes. Johnwent on to state again that Lt.­Col. Byspecifically mentioned himself, JohnBurrows, as deserving of the 13s in hisfollow­up letters to the RespectiveOfficers and Board.

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Captain Bolton also wrote detailedletters in which he gently put asideThomas’ suggestion that Lt.­Col. Bysimply made a mistake in referring toJohn Burrows in his explanatory letterssupporting the increase in pay to 13s.This would have been highly unlikely;By knew Burrows well and wasdiligent in trying to leave him in assecure a position as possible with thetermination of canal construction.

Thomas may have been right insupposing that Fanshawe mistook thename of John Burrows as the “Burrows”that had accompanied himself and theCanada Committee so effectively.Certainly a simple mistake, easily made;Fanshawe evidently did not cross pathsoften with John Burrows.

An equally interesting question is“Why did Lt.­Col. By not also make arequest to have Thomas’ salary in­creased?” There are several possibilities.

First, By probably knew that hewould have had difficulty in having thesalaries of both men increased at thesame time. He may have thought thatsince Thomas had reached 10s beforeJohn, perhaps it was only fair to bringup John to 13s before Thomas. Hecould always make a request for asalary increase for Thomas later, andthe retroactive nature of such increaseswould minimize any harm done.

Second, By may have thought thatThomas was at the right level. CaptainBolton’s letter of 27th March 1835suggests that he (Bolton) regardedThomas as highly deserving of anincrease. Bolton’s letters do notindicate that he had ever tried to get Byto make a salary increase request forThomas for parity with John.

There is some support for the secondpoint. Consider that John had been atthe 13s level for 4 ½ years beforeThomas found out. Presumably By didnot wish to make a salary increaserequest for Thomas during that time.

Bolton also made pointed commentsabout the amount of money that John

was receiving but does not go so far asto indicate that John was over­paid.

In a 31st January 1835 letter to TheRight Honourable and HonourableBoard of Ordnance, John had describedthe money that he had been makingand could expect to make as aProvincial Land Surveyor. He hadreceived 15s per day and rations whilesurveying the Township of Grenvilleand the Grenville Canal at the LongSault Rapids on the Ottawa River.Later, while he was employed on theRideau Canal, he had been offeredGovernment surveys at 30s per day tosurvey 100,000 acres in the Townshipsof Templeton and Eardley. He had toturn the work down.

Bolton stated that John had neverreceived less than 14.5s Cur per daywith rations and that from 7 January1831 he was paid £1.0.9. Boltoncommented tartly “it does not appearthat Mr. Burrows can have been sovery much greatly a loser (in apecuniary point of view) by havingentered the Engineers Establishment”.

This deserves some carefulexplanation. In a letter dated 26September 1832, the “RespectiveOfficers” had approved “13/Currencyper day for the Overseer of Works Mr.J. Burrows (with a ration of Provisionspaying 1 ½ for it) and without anyother allowance except whentravelling, we do not look upon asbetter than any other Overseer ofWorks of the 1st Class, we havetherefore submitted the same to theHon’ble Board.”

It seems clear that John had initiallygiven up at least 7/6 day in base pay(7/6 vs 15s) by joining the RideauCanal project. On the other hand, hehad also gained steady employmentand a home base. Equally, the £1.0.9must have included the cost of hisfrequent travels, which allowance wasevidently set at 6s/4 per day.

Conclusion:John Burrows was a careful man. He

had kept or had access to a considerableamount of relevant correspondence.2

Why? Possibly he had anticipated somesuch an event where he would need tosupport his position.

His position with Lt.­Col. By wassolid. Although not referenced here,John had quoted correspondence andreferred to events that showed that hehad been the first choice to accompanyLt.­Col. Fanshawe and the CanadaCommittee in 1828. Only his illness atthe time prevented him from going. Hementioned that By had visited him athome to try to convince him to makethe trip.

Furthermore, Burrow’s relationshipwith By was so firm that By hadentrusted management of his Canadianproperties to Burrows when By wasrecalled to London to explain the greatcost over­runs of the Rideau Canalconstruction. Burrows himself hadbeen an early investor in “Bytown”properties and had accumulated 17houses at the time of his death.

We can only imagine John’srelationship with Thomas, but at leastThomas had the satisfaction of out­living him (if there was any satisfactionin that). John died on July 27, 1848. Hewas initially buried in Hull, but waslater brought to Beechwood Cemeteryin Ottawa.3

Thomas continued as Overseer ofWorks and later, Clerk of Works, forthe southern portion of the canal untilhis retirement in 1846. The misspellingof his name continued, even in his localarea.4 A prodigious artist of the canaland surrounding country andcommunities, he died in 1864.5

(Endnotes)1 E.F. Bush, Burrows, John, www.Biographia.ca/009004­11901­e.php? &id_nbr=32782 Library and Archives Canada, MG13W.O. 44/23, ff. 218­259, Reel B­12973 E. F. Bush, op.cit.

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HSO NewsletterPage 10

William Wilfred Campbell,Confederation Poet andPhilosopher: New PoemsCompiled by Bryan D. Cook,January 2015

During my research of the life andpoetry of William Pittman Lett, I havediscovered two “lost” and importantpoems of William Wilfred Campbell. Ipublished the first in the lastNewsletter and the second isreproduced at the end of this article.However, I thought we should knowsomething about him!

William Wilfred Campbell was amember of the Canadian school of“Confederation Poets” who were bornin the mid­19th century around the dateof the constitution of Canada as aconfederated Dominion of Britain in1867. Northrop Frye saw theirdistinctive Canadian romantic style andeffect on Canadian poetry as “verymuch like the impact of the Group ofSeven painting two decadeslater…..like the later painters, thesepoets were lyrical in tone and romanticin attitude”. Still using the brushes ofthe Victorian Romantics, they movedaway from heavy classical andreligious metaphor to paint in versetheir personal relationships with natureand modern civilization. They neverconsidered themselves a cohesivegroup. Indeed, some regard theirSchool as having been arbitrarilydefined to provide a powerful postfacto canon to celebrate the newDominion into the first quarter of the20th century, with the effect ofretarding the development ofModernist Canadian poetry.

The Confederation School isconsidered to have two geographicbranches: the Ottawa poets includingArchibald Lampman (1861­1899),Duncan Campbell Scott (1862­1947)and William Wilfred Campbell (1860­

1918), and the maritime poets,including Charles G. D. Roberts (1860­1943) and his cousin, Bliss Carmen(1861­1929). Others have been addedto the School, including FrederickGeorge Scott (1861–1944), FrancisJoseph Sherman (1871–1926), PaulineJohnson (1861–1913) GeorgeFrederick Cameron (1854–1885), andIsabella Valancy Crawford (1850–1887). Campbell was the mostenigmatic of them all.

He was born in 1860 in Newmarket,Upper Canada, the son of an alcoholicclergyman whose wife was a giftedpianist and composer. After teaching inthe Wiarton district for several years,he studied divinity and theology andwas ordained in 1885. He secretlymarried Mary Louisa Debelle in 1883so that she not lose her teachingposition. They had four children. Hewas a pastor at West Claremont N.H.,St Stephen N.B. and Southampton,Ont. but alienated his last congregationas his religious beliefs evolved awayfrom classical dogma. In poor health,he moved to Ottawa in 1891 for afederal civil service job that fellthrough. In 1915, Campbell movedwith his family to an old stone

farmhouse on the outskirts of Ottawa,which he named "Kilmorie". The housestill exists with its original stone wallat 21 Withrow Avenue, (City View)Nepean, off Merivale Road.

By 1891, Campbell was a well­recognized and highly productive poetwho’s lyrical and beautifulcompositions were featured in the mostprestigious magazines in NorthAmerica. His muse was God’spresence expressed in Nature. Sir JohnA. Macdonald habitually hired poets;in 1891 he hired Campbell as atemporary clerk for $1.50 a day in theDepartment of Railways and Canalsand then in the Department ofSecretary of State in 1892. His successas a poet prompted debates in theHouse of Commons and the Senate togive him a permanent positon; bothwere defeated as creating unwantedpatronage precedence for artists.However, he was so insistent that hewas quietly given a permanent job,firstly in the Department of Militia andDefence (1893), the Privy CouncilOffice (1897), the Archives Branch ofthe Department of Agriculture (1908)and the Dominion Archives in 1909.

From 1892 to 1893, he joined fellowcivil servants and Confederation poetsDuncan Campbell Scott and ArchibaldLampman, his next­door neighbor, inwriting a column of essays for theToronto Globe newspaper called “Atthe Mermaid Inn”. It helped to pay hisbills but collapsed as Williamcontinued to express his liberal andunorthodox religious theories, seekingto reconcile religion, science andsociology. This blend, however,appealed to the members of the RoyalSociety of Canada who elected him amember in 1894, and their vice­president (1899­1900), president (1900­1901) and secretary (1903­1911).

His poetry, verse dramas, pamphlets,five novels and three works of non­fiction expressed this blendedphilosophy and his patriotic British

Historia Poetice Aperta

September 2015

Wilfred Campbell (1860­1918) (WikimediaCommons)

HSO Newsletter Page 11

Imperialist politics. These principlesguided his choices for Poems of Loyaltyby British and Canadian Authors(London, 1913) and for The OxfordBook of Canadian Verse (Toronto,1913); he somewhat egocentricallydevoted more pages in the latter to hisown poetry than to anyone else!Throughout the Great War, hedistributed pamphlets of poems and wasseconded from the archives branch,where he was working on Loyalisthistorical projects, to the ImperialMunitions Board, where he began ahistory of the Canadian munitionsindustry. He died of pneumonia on NewYear’s morning, 1918, and was buriedin Beechwood cemetery; a frank andhighly gifted Canadian poet, author andprovocative philosopher. William LyonMcKenzie King and Viola Markhambought his plot and memorial.

The following poem by Campbell,“Bird on a Bough”, could not be foundin the usual anthologies of his work. Itis one of his Nature poems with only aslight hint of God, represented by theSun. It celebrates springtime. It wassent to W.P.Lett, signed personally andfrom an early address for Campbell at“24 Lisgar Street, Ottawa, Canada”. Itis an original, typed manuscript andmust have been composed shortly afterhis arrival in Ottawa in 1891 judgingby the address and the fact that therecipient, W.P.Lett, died in 1892.

*Biographical information has beenabstracted from: PoemHunter.com athttp://www.poemhunter.com/william­wilfred­campbell/biography/

The Dictionary of CanadianBiography at http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/campbell_william_wilfred_14E.html

Confederation Poets athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_Poets

Poets’Pathway athttp://www.poetspathway.ca/bio_campbell.htm

September 2015

HSO Autumn LocalAboriginal Excursion

Wed. 30th Sept/2015

toKitigan Zibi Anishinabeg

Cultural Centre of anAlgonquin Reserve near

Maniwaki, QC

Via Wakefield, coveredbridges & 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 theApostle Anglican Church

2345 Alta Vista Dr.

Reservations to Tour LeaderJennifer Stelzer

613­729­0421<fishonskis@gmail.com>

*Includes $15.00 Non­refundablePre­registration 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 havingstarted to split. On the 2nd night, Parks Canada worked through the night to attach two 6" wide I­beams on eachside of the post to conserve its operation (see arrow). Obviously the post will have to be replaced after autumncanal shut­down, but note the dilapitated state of the upper boardwalk of the same gate. Photo by G.Neville.

Society's computer resource person fordigital banking of selected HSO files,compilation of AGM Reports,preparation of speaker certificates andprogram cards ­ in short, the manyfunctions formerly performed by DonBaxter. It was an intensive, full 2½­hour meeting off to a wonderful startand one from which all previous Boardmembers left feeling delighted,energized, and renewed.

Page 12 HSO Newsletter

The Historical Society of Ottawagratefully acknowledges the financialsupport of the City of Ottawa and theMinistry of Culture of the Governmentof Ontario.

Membership Renewal FormThe Historical Society of Ottawa

Date_______________________Renewal/New________________No. Members______________________Name_______________________________________________________________________________Name (for mailing)______________________________________________________________________

Address Unchanged(Show Changes Below)Street________________________________________________________________________________Postal Code________Phone (res)________________Phone (work)________________E­mailAddress___________________Interest(Activities?)________________________________________Volunteer?__________________________________

Membership fees PaymentSingle $35/year Membership $____________________________Student $10/year Donation $____________________________Family $50/year Total $____________________________Single Life $350

Charitable receipts for federal income tax purposes will be issued for donations.Please photocopy and complete this form and mail it with a cheque, made payable to The Historical Society of Ottawa, to:

Membership, The Historical Society of OttawaP.O. Box 523, Station B.

Ottawa, OntarioK1P 5P6

Ontario Historical Plaques

Someone has spent a lot of timephotographing and documenting theHistorical Plaques of Ontario. I am notsure about, but I just about always stopand take a minute to read these. I knowthere are many I'll never get to, so thisis kind of a great little snapshot of whatis out there! Jennifer StelzerSee: http://www.ontarioplaques.com/

.....Cont'd from page 7 .....Cont'd from page 1

.....Cont'd from page 1

September 2015

service station complex where ourlocal guide, James Forbes, departed bytaxi to St. Zotique to recover his carand drive back to Les Cédres.

After a brief pause for a last comfortstop, we were on our way by 3:15 PMtowards Ottawa. The St. Thomas'parking lot passengers were alldischarged by 4:55 PM and the St.Richard's by 5:20 PM. It was a very fullday, executed in less time than I hadexpected due in good measure to nofoul­ups, thanks to much late winter andearly spring scouting of the area andsites by James Forbes, an HSO memberof 4 years whom we've never metbefore and who has never been able toget to one of our monthly meetings, butwho enjoys reading the HSO Newsletterand Bytown Pamphlets.

.....Cont'd from page 94 Militia of Upper Canada, with astatement of the volunteer corps withinthe province, and dates of commission,&c., &c., &c., 1839. The list of namesof volunteers for the 3d RegimentFrontenac contains the name “T.Burrows” in the list of Lieutenants onpage 19: www.canadiana.org.5 Brian S. Osborne, The Artist asHistorical Commentator: ThomasBurrowes and the Rideau Canal,Archivia 17 (winter 1983­84) p.49.

Interior view, octagonal blockhouse, Coteau­du­Lac. G. Neville.