History of Ottawa, ON

For centuries Algonquin people have trekked through the Ottawa and Rideau rivers as they passed through the area. French explorer entienne Brûlé was said to be the first European to see the Chaudière waterfalls in 1610, and he too had to cross them to pass through the interior. No permanent settlement took place in the area until 1800 when Philemon Wright established his village near a waterfall, on the north bank of the Ottawa River.

The construction of the Rideau Canal, motivated by self-defense concerns following the 1812 War and plans by Lieutenant Colonel John By and Governor-General Dalhousie began shortly after September 26, 1826, when Ottawa's predecessor, Bytown, was founded. Lieutenant Colonel John By was an officer of the Royal Engineers commissioned by the British Government in 1826 to oversee the construction of the Rideau Canal.

The establishment of the mark was a turnaround, as well as a letter from Dalhousie authorizing Colonel By to divide the city into lots. The village grew into a lumber mill and later traded timber, creating growth so that in 1854, Bytown was made a city with its present name, Ottawa.

The City of Ottawa also benefits from an important rural sector. In Ottawa, the rural economy contributes more than $ 1 billion to GDP. Agriculture alone makes $ 400 million, $ 136.7 million in sales. Rural economic activity includes activities such as agriculture, retail, construction, forestry and mining (aggregates), tourism, manufacturing, personal and business services, and transportation, to name a few. Rural employment increased by 18% healthy from 1996 to 2001.