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RIDEAU200
The 200th Anniversary of the Opening of the Rideau Canal
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The Rideau Canal has been open for: Timer |
The Rideau Canal was completed in 1832. The first steamboat transit was done in May, with the steamboat Rideau (aka Pumper) leaving Kingston on May 22 and arriving in Ottawa on May 29. The first commercial trip was also done by the Rideau/Pumper which left Kingston for Bytown on July 12, 1832 carrying 200 barrels of flour, 60 barrels of pork and an unknown number of passengers.
The Rideau Canal is the oldest continously operated canal along its original line in North America. This is part of the reason for its UNESCO World Heritage Designation.
In 2032 we will be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the opening of the canal. There will be lots of activities and projects to commemorate this milestone. This page will provide information and links to those activities and projects.
Stay tuned.
Milestone Dates:
- September 26, 1826 - On this date, Lt. Colonel John By and George Ramsay, the 9th Earl of Dalhousie and the Governor-in-Chief of British North America, stood at the foot of Entrance Valley, deciding it was the best spot for the start of the Rideau Canal. This is the official start of the canal and the founding date of Bytown, later Ottawa, our National Capital. Work subsequently starts on clearing the valley of trees and surveying the area from Entrance Valley to Hogs Back.
- 1827 - Lt. Colonel John By, the Superintending Royal Engineer for the project, divides the Rideau in to 23 sections with the intent of assigning each section to an indepedent contractor. In May 1827, he does his first transit of the Rideau Route by canoe, checking out each proposed lock site. Work starts on various sections and by the end of the year work is being done along the entire length of the Rideau Route.
- 1827-1831 - Battling disease and difficult working conditions, a diverse group of people laboured to build the canal. Plans had to be changed to meet conditions and several contractors quit forcing Col. By to take over two of the sites (Hogs Back and Newboro) using his Sapper and Miners along with civilian workers. Several other sites were re-contracted to existing contractors.
- June 1828 - the Rideau was originally to have locks 108 feet long by 20 feet wide, but Lt. Col. By lobbied for larger locks, 150 feet wide by 50 feet wide. A committee under Sir James Kempt was formed to study the issue and in June 1828 settled on the lock size we have today, 134 feet long by 33 feet wide. Existing locks were torn down and plans changed to accommodate this larger locks size.
- Fall 1831 - The northern section of the canal was completed with a steamboat going through the Ottawa Locks and getting as far south as Clowes. The Royal Sappers and Miners are disbanded in December 1831. Most stayed in Canada, taking offered land grants and many became the first locksmasters. Work continues on several of the southern lockstations to have them ready by spring 1832.
- May 1832 - The first steamboat transit of the canal, from Kingston to Ottawa is done with Lt. Col. John By and family aboard. The southern locks are still being worked on and it wasn't until July 1832 that the Rideau opens to commercial traffic.
 Comments: send me email: Ken Watson
This site was originally created on August 30, 1996
and has been providing people with information about the Rideau Canal for:
©1996- Ken W. Watson
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