Bytown
Bytown, founded on September 26, 1826, is the former name of Ottawa. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General Dalhousie which authorized Lieutenant Colonel John By to divide up the town into lots. Bytown came about as a result of the construction of the Rideau Canal and grew largely due to the Ottawa River timber trade. Initially, it was a military town where the British Ordnance Department was the dominant player in the local administration and a major landowner.
The name "Bytown" came about, somewhat as a "jocular reference" during a small dinner party of some officers, and it appears on official correspondence dated 1828. The name comes from Colonel John By, who headed the construction of the Rideau Canal.
Joseph Bouchette in the summer of 1828 wrote: "The streets are laid out with much regularity, and of a liberal width that will hereafter contribute to the convenience, salubrity and elegance of the place. The number of houses now built is about 150, most of which are constructed of wood; frequently in a style of neatness and taste that reflects great credit upon the Inhabitants. On the elevated banks of the Bay, the Hospital, an extensive stone building, and three Barracks stand conspicuous; nearly on a level with them, and on the eastern side of the Bay, is the residence of Colonel By, Command Royal Engineer at that Station."
In 1841, Bytown offered 38 stores, serving a population of barely 3,000 inhabitants. Four years later, the number of stores rose to 51. In 1849, 54 rooming houses accommodated a large transient population in the city. The lodgers frequented taverns, gambling houses and brothels owned and managed by a group of traders who held the reins of Bytown.
Bytown was divided into two parts: Upper Town (West) and Lower Town (East). The more populated Lower Town consisted of French Canadians and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were labourers in the construction of the Rideau Canal. Upper Town held the English and Scottish population who were self-appointed governors of the town. As the canal project came to a close in 1832, French Canadian and Irish Catholic struggled for new work to support themselves, and the challenges in Bytown arose quickly. The fear of job loss caused gangs to form and they attacked timber operations and political institutions. And so began Shiner’s War (1835 to 1845). The Shiner’s War involved violent fights between the French Canadian and Irish, ending in riots, injury and death.
In 1855, Bytown changed its name to Ottawa when it was incorporated as a city. In 1857, Queen Victoria made Ottawa the capital of Canada.
References
Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, A Brief History of Bytown.
French Life in the Capital, Bytown and Its First French Canadians.
Photos
Edwin Whitefield, Ottawa City, Canada West, (Lower Town) from Government Hill, Looking down the Ottawa River and Showing the Locks of the Rideau Canal, 1855, lithograph, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa. Depictions of Bishop’s Palace and Bytown College in 1855 can be seen in this image, to the left of Notre Dame Basilica.
Map of Bytown: Library and Archives Canada, 440 - Metro areas, Province of Ontario, H2/440/Ottawa/1842, Mikan 4135472, NMC-019056.
Lower Bytown, from the East Bank of the Deep-cut, Rideau Canal, 1845. Watercolour. Thomas Burrowes fonds. Reference Code: C 1-0-0-0-12. Archives of Ontario.
