The Historical Society of Ottawa is excited to announce we’re launching a blog! Are you a historian, heritage professional, or member of the public who is actively engaged in historical research related to the Ottawa area, who is interested in sharing your research? While you may be familiar with our other publications, including our pamphlets and Ottawa Stories, this platform provides a space for those interested in showcasing their work in a shorter blog format.

As a start, we will publish one blog post a month which will be posted on our website and promoted on our social media platforms.

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We were fortunate to have two guest presenters for our Zoom speaker session of October 25, 2023. Paul Litt, an author and Professor of Public History at Carleton University, (cross-appointed to the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies), met with us live via Zoom while Brenda Norris, daughter of Phyllis Turner Ross, sister of John Turner and a remarkable individual in her own right, graciously pre-recorded an interview with Paul Litt and Ben Weiss to share with us.

Paul told us that Phyllis Gregory’s parents were both from the Maritimes. Her father was a mining-hoist engineer and her mother was the daughter of a ship owner. They had moved to British Columbia as part of the gold rush and had settled in Rossland. Phyllis was bright, hard-working and ambitious, so in 1921, aged 17, and encouraged by her mother, she enrolled in the University of British Columbia, then a small and relatively new institution in Vancouver. This was an unusual step for a woman at this time, not only that she chose to go to university but in her selection of programs. Paul explained that, in general, society still held to traditional gender roles, although it was beginning to accept women as professionals in the field of Health Care, Social Work, Education or other “nurturing” applications. Phyllis, however, chose Economics and Political Science, fields which were considered to be appropriate only for men. After graduation she went on to graduate school, winning a scholarship to study Economics and Politics at Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia. In 1927 she received another scholarship and entered the college’s doctoral program. She studied at the London School of Economics in 1927-1928 and then travelled to the University of Marburg in Germany to do research for her thesis. While in England, she met Leonard Turner. The couple had three children: John, (who became our 17 ^th Prime Minister), Brenda, (our pre-recorded guest this evening) and a middle child, Michael, who died in infancy. In late 1932 another tragedy befell the family when Leonard, aged 28, died from complications following a thyroidectomy. This left Phyllis alone, far from home, unemployed, in the middle of the Depression and with two children to support.

Returning to her parents in Rossland, Phyllis took some time to consider her future. By the fall of 1933, however, she had moved to Ottawa to take a trial position with the newly formed Tariff Board. Brenda remarked that Phyllis had been told not to bring her children along, in case things didn’t work out, but she did anyway, and things certainly worked out well. Paul explained that the Civil Service at that time was becoming more professional, transitioning from one based on patronage appointments to one based on merit, and so becoming one of the best Civil Services in the world. Its senior ranks were also exclusively male. Women were allowed to work in the Civil Service but were required to resign when they married. Widows, recognized as heads-of-households, and so needing to work, were accepted, if not welcomed. Phyllis, as a devote Catholic, was also unusual in what was a predominantly Protestant and Anglican organization.

Charming and attractive, Phyllis quickly became well known and well liked in Ottawa. Paul noted that she frequently served as the official escort for R. B. Bennett, who Brenda revealed had romantic interests in her, and for Mackenzie King, who did not. Phyllis, for her part, was focussed on her work and her family. Paul recounted that by 1939 her hard work and ability saw her rise to the role of Chief Research Economist for the Tariff Board. The outbreak of the Second World War only added to the demands that work placed upon her. She was seconded to the Wartime Prices and Trade Board, which Paul explained was established at the start of the war to stop the inflation and war profiteering that had taken place during the First World War. Phyllis was initially responsible for the acquisition and allocation of sugar. Hoarding of sugar by consumers, coupled with a drop in supply as the ships generally used to carry it became unavailable, was creating a crisis. Phyllis worked tirelessly to restore the supply and then determine how it should be distributed between Canadian consumers, Canadian industry and Great Britain. Later, she became the “Oils and Fats Administrator”, an unattractive title, but a vital role. Paul listed some of the uses of oils and fats, which included: as lubricants, paints, polishes, soaps, shampoos, ink, adhesives and explosives, as well as being a food product. To conserve the supply, Phyllis imposed production controls, rationing and recycling. To increase the supply, she encouraged the development of a cod liver oil industry on the east coast and a dogfish liver oil industry on the west coast. She also persuaded farmers to plant flax to prevent an anticipated shortage of linseed oil. She was increasingly involved in negotiations with the British and Americans, travelling frequently to Washington. Paul pointed out that Phyllis was the highest ranking woman in the federal public service at that time, though paid less than her male counterparts.

Paul described how the press, anxious to protect and support the existing gender stereotypes, dealt with the power and success of a woman. One NBC radio host remarked that Phyllis, who was very attractive was “Not at all the movie version of a woman economist”, while Maclean’s magazine wanted to assure their readers that despite her career success, she was still beautiful, had a great fashion sense and could cook, clean and sew. Nor did it interfere with her role as a mother. Brenda recalled that her mother had hired a much-loved Scottish housekeeper, Isabelle Kennedy, who handled most of the daily domestic duties. Brenda went on to say that she and John had a wonderful childhood. Their mother always put the children first, though she expected them to do their best. When asked if it mattered that there was no father in the home, Brenda observed that during the war, most families had no father in the home, so they were no different than anyone else.

Brenda told us that Phyllis met Frank Ross, a B.C. based industrialist and millionaire, who asked her to marry him in 1943. At her insistence, however, they waited until 1945, when their war work was done. Phyllis left the Public Service, aged 41, and they moved to Vancouver, where she turned her talents to volunteer work. She served on the executive of the Canadian Federation of University Women and the senate of the University of British Columbia, becoming their Chancellor in 1961, the first woman in the Commonwealth to hold such a position. In 1955, Frank was appointed as Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, Phyllis throwing herself into this new challenge. Brenda commented that they entertained frequently, noting that they became close to several members of the Royal Family.

Paul revealed that by 1981, Phyllis was beginning to suffer from the effects of Alzheimer’s and died in 1988, never knowing that John had gone on to become Prime Minister.

In conclusion, Paul noted that there is still much we don’t know about Phyllis Turner Ross, especially about her private life. As a career-woman, Phyllis was a trail-blazer and it is strange that no biography has yet been written, and that today she is largely unknown. Paul expressed his hope that the interest shown by the Historical Society of Ottawa in the life of Phyllis Turner Ross will spark a graduate student to undertake the thorough research demanded of a thesis and warranted by the career and life of this remarkable woman.

To view the full presentation by Paul and Brenda, please see Phyllis Turner Ross Career Woman and Single Mother on the HSO YouTube channel .

To read the Historical Society of Ottawa pamphlet # 120 “Phyllis Turner Ross - Career Woman and Single Mother”, by Paul Litt and Christine F. Jackson, please see the publication section of our website .

The story of John Napier Turner, Canada's 17th Prime Minister, is well known. Less known is the story of his remarkable mother, Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross, a single mother who came to Ottawa in the 1930s looking for work to support her two children... and worked her way up to become the highest-ranking woman in Canada's wartime civil service.

Paul Litt tells the story of Phyllis Gregory Turner Ross, along with a special interview with Phyllis' daughter, Brenda Norris.

Randy Boswell, noted journalist, educator, researcher and frequent presenter for the Historical Society of Ottawa was our guest speaker at our in-person session of October 21, 2023, hosted again by the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. Randy, who estimates that he has written some 400 – 500 animal based stories throughout his career, thoroughly entertained his audience, which despite inclement weather and Queensway closures, numbered 37.

Randy noted that Ottawa has lots of green space, waterways and semi-wilderness areas and as such is a wonderful place for animals and animal encounters. He pointed out that many of our most meaningful animal encounters happen not with wild animals but with our own pets. Randy showed us photos and related stories about a number of pets, including his own, with celebrity connections.

Pat was, for 17 years, the strength, inspiration, confidant and partner of his human companion, who wrote of Pat almost daily in his diary. On the 17 ^th July, 1941, just two days after Pat’s death, his grief-ridden companion, compelled by his own duties, officiated at the opening of the Lord Elgin Hotel. Dressed in a gray suit, a black tie in mourning of Pat, and with bright flowers in the buttonhole of his coat, that he had picked from Pat’s grave that very morning, he managed to get through the ceremonies, nearly breaking down toward the end. Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King went on to have two more dogs, both of which he also named Pat.

Rustie, an orange cat, (her name often being misspelled as Rusty), who also lived for some 17 years, was widely reported to have gotten too heavily into the catnip one night, going on a bender and becoming totally intoxicated, while celebrating the first Mayoral victory of her companion, Charlotte Whitton. Charlotte created the “Rustie Whitton Memorial Trophy” in Rustie’s honour and presented it annually for the National Capital Cat Club, of which she was a member. Christine Columbus was another cat of whom Charlotte was a companion.

Cats, it would seem, not only celebrated election victories but for some 40 years, took over Parliament Hill. The Parliament Hill Cat Colony, a popular attraction, was formally started in 1970 by Irène Desormeaux. Upon her death, her work was continued by René Chartrand and other volunteers. The cats received food, medical care and even custom-built housing. The sanctuary was closed in 2013, the remaining residents being adopted into good homes.

Randy told us of several animals who held key roles at Rideau Hall and of a little known feature of that property.

George, an Irish Setter whose companion was the Right Honourable Vincent Massey, our first Canadian-born Governor General, is well remembered for the help he gave to Queen Elizabeth II. During the 1957 Royal Visit, George carried her handbag on a short walk around the grounds of Rideau Hall. Cashew joined the staff of Governor General Jules Leger, after the latter had suffered a serious stroke. It was Cashew’s job to walk the Governor General around the grounds and so aid in his recovery. A press conference was held to introduce Cashew to the public, but, unfortunately, he was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of Margret Trudeau, who as an aspiring photo-journalist had decided to attend the event. Perhaps strangest of all animals who found themselves in a role at Rideau Hall were two moose presented to the Marquess of Lorne, while he served as Governor General. He decided that these animals should be put to harness and used to pull his carriage. The Rideau Hall coachman, Harry Bristow, was given the task, which seems to have met with some, though limited success. On one occasion, in order to demonstrate how well trained the moose were, one was brought into the dining room at Rideau Hall, where it apparently behaved. Randy went on to let us know about a dark sidebar to this story. The two moose were the gift of Edgar Dewdney, a key figure in the development of the Residential School system in Canada and someone who used access to food to starve Indigenous peoples into submission.

The grounds of Rideau Hall hold within them an unexpected feature, a pet cemetery. George, Vincent Massey’s dog, is one of about a dozen pets of former Governors General that are buried here. Included in this number is the Black Lab of H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught, who served as our Governor General from 1911 to 1916. This particular Black Lab had a name, although common for black dogs at that time, we now recognize to be a very offensive racial slur. Upon the dog’s death it was buried in the pet cemetery, a tombstone marking his grave and proudly displaying its name for all to see. Finally, in 1993, almost 80 years after it had been erected, Ray Hnatyshyn, during his term as Governor General, ordered the removal of the offending marker.

Randy explained that not all animal stories relate to recent animals, some involve those from the long past.

Elkanah Billings, of our local Billings family, was educated and worked briefly as a lawyer. Later, he became the editor of the Ottawa Citizen, but his true passion was the natural sciences. He was hired as the first paleontologist for the Geological Survey of Canada . While in this role he received some unusual samples of rocks from Newfoundland, which after careful examination, he identified as fossils of animals. As these fossils were found in a Precambrian deposit, a time when life on earth was not thought to exist, Elkanah’s claims were hotly disputed and dismissed. Time however proved his analysis correct and these samples are now among the most significant in the world.

More recently, some 13,000 – 10,000 years ago, as the last ice-sheets retreated, much of Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and the northern portions of New York and Vermont were covered by the Champlain Sea. Randy told us of some dramatic evidence of this, the discovery in 1948, of the bones of a Beluga whale that were uncovered in a gravel pit near Uplands. The Beluga has since found a home in the Museum of Nature.

As we were running short of time, we reluctantly, (or maybe not), chose to skip the undoubtedly charming stories about lice and tapeworms. Fortunately, you can read these, along with many other fabulous stories and view the photos, for yourself as Randy has generously shared his complete presentation with us — see the featured document: A Menagerie of Ottawa Animal Tales.

Our first virtual speaker session of the year was held on September 27, 2023, and featured a pre-recorded presentation by Jim Stone, supported by Merv Sarazin who introduced Jim and remained with the presentation to answer questions and provide additional background. Jim, a retired Foreign Service officer and amateur historian, focussed his presentation on the life of Grand Chief Pierre Louis Constant Pinesi (1768 – 1834) and the turbulent times in which he lived. Jim also provided a more general history of the Alongkin* peoples of the Ottawa area in the 150 years or so prior to Chief Pinesi’s birth. Jim is not Indigenous himself and assembled the information for his presentation from published and archival sources, not traditional Alongkin knowledge, though he has consulted with the people of Pikwakanagan First Nation where a number of Chief Pinesi’s descendants live.

Jim described that, starting in the early 1600s, things began to go badly for the Alongkin people of the Ottawa valley. They were ravaged by a series of European diseases and their consequences. Later, they were driven from their lands by the Iroquois who were expanding their territory. As a result, the Ottawa valley became nearly depopulated. It was not until the signing of the Grand Peace of 1701 between the French, Alongkin, Iroquois and others, that the Alongkin began to return to this area.

Jim explained that prior to the influx of settlers, Alongkin family hunting grounds were fairly fixed and well respected. Chief Pinesi described his hunting grounds as being south of the Ottawa River, centered on the Rideau River. The exact boundaries, which would have followed natural land forms, are today unknown. Based on a meeting documented by Philemon Wright that he had with two Chiefs who were protesting his logging activities, it is possible that Chief Pinesi had some access to or use of lands to the north of the Ottawa River. Chief Pinesi and his family, he had 12 children, many of whom died young, would have travelled widely in his hunting grounds. He would also have travelled throughout the greater territory, especially to the Lake of Two Mountains, now Oka, where there was a summer gathering of Alongkin, Nipissing and Mohawk peoples, along with a French Catholic Mission.

Just prior to the 1800s, settlers began arriving in the Ottawa watershed. This resulted from the British domination of North America established by the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and spurred on by the American Revolution, which ended in 1783. Loggers cleared the forests, destroying the habitat of the animals hunted by the Alongkin, and settlers divided the land for farming. Both groups also competed for the same fish and animals that fed Chief Pinesi, his family and the other Alongkin people. Construction of the Rideau Canal was especially devastating. The dams required for the waterway, such as at Hog’s Back, transformed the river into a series of essentially long lakes, destroying fishing grounds at the base of rapids and flooding traditional camping and cultural sites along the shores and on its islands. The large workforce also accessed the same natural food sources, driving some species to near extinction in the area.

Chief Pinesi and four of his sons were among the many Indigenous warriors, Alongkin, Nipissing and Iroquois, who fought with the British in the war of 1812. Indigenous warriors are known to have fought at Queenston (October 13, 1812), Odeltown (August 19, 1812), Chateauguay (October 26, 1813) and Beaver Dams (June 24, 1813). Alongkin and Nipissing warriors were prominent in the capture of Colonel Boerstler's Detachment of 512 US soldiers at Beaver Dams. Jim emphasized that these warriors fought as allies, not as soldiers of the British army. Merv Sarazin commented that had it not been for the impact of Indigenous warriors, Canada as we know it might not exist, having fallen to the Americans at that time.

Jim pointed out that much of Chief Pinesi’s life was dedicated to attempting to protect his people’s rights to their ancestral lands and to their way of life. He submitted about 20 petitions, in conjunction with other Alongkin and Nipissing Chiefs, to the governments of Upper and Lower Canada seeking their acknowledgement to Alongkin title to their lands, compensation for lands already lost to settlers, and restrictions on further settlement. The governments did not act upon these petitions, despite the observation by Chief Pineisi that the Alongkins had helped defend the British interest in the area. In 1819, in response to pressure from the increasing number of settlers, the government of Upper Canada signed a treaty with Mississauga Chiefs that included the Alongkin lands of the Rideau River watershed, including Chief Pinesi’s family hunting grounds. No treaty for land compensation was ever signed with the Alongkin.

Chief Pinesi and his wife both died in August 1834 as a result of a Cholera epidemic that was sweeping Upper and Lower Canada. Jim believes that they are buried in the second Catholic cemetery at Lake of Two Mountains, though no record of the exact location of these graves survives.

You can watch Jim’s full presentation on the HSO YouTube channel.

A more complete written version of Jim’s work with footnotes can be downloaded from Grand Chief Constant Pinesi – Kichi Sibi Trails (kichisibiancienttrails.ca) .

Additional, Merv Sarazin referred to the book “The Ancestors are Arranging Things”, by Noreen Kruzich, available for purchase online or from the Ottawa Public Library.

*The term “Algonkin” is used to refer to the Anishinabeg living in the land claimed by Chief Pinesi on both sides of the Ottawa River and all its tributaries from Oka to Mattawa, including the headwaters of the latter river. The term Algonquin refers to a much larger group of Indigenous people. This term parallels that used by Noreen Kruzich in her book "The Ancestors are Arranging Things".

Grand Chief Pierre-Louis Constant Pinesi (1768-1834) witnessed great and tragic changes during his lifetime. The traditional land upon which Chief Pinesi's family gathered, hunted, fished, and trapped is where the Nation's Capital is situated today — before those ancient and crucial livelihoods collapsed under the unending wave of European settlement and deforestation.

Chief Pinesi, who fought bravely alongside the British during the War of 1812, saw his many petitions to the Crown for recognition of his people's ancestral rights left unanswered.

Jim Stone has conducted extensive research into the life and legacy of Chief Pinesi, working in consultation with members of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, including direct descendants of Chief Pinesi.

Introduction by Merv Sarazin, Band Councillor, Pikwakanagan First Nation.

Almost 50 guests attended our first speaker presentation of the year, hosted by the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on September 9, 2023. Prior to the presentation, Dianne Brydon, President of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa took a few minutes to describe some of the outstanding events they have in their upcoming season. For more details on their organization and their presentations, please check out the BIFHSGO website.

We were then pleased to welcome Peter Atkinson, a retired educator from Ottawa, who spoke to us about his father, noted broadcaster Gord Atkinson. Peter focussed on a 13-year period of Gord’s extraordinary career when he introduced Rock & Roll music and the musicians who played it to Ottawa, to Canada and in some cases to North America. Gord was “Ottawa’s Oldest Teenager”.

Gord was recruited by radio station CFRA in Ottawa from radio station CHUM in Toronto in February 1954, based on the national success of his program featuring the music of Bing Crosby. Arriving in Ottawa, he soon determined that there was a market for the new music known as “Happy Beat”; the term “Rock and Roll” being considered as too risqué. The station attracted an older audience and their management was reluctant to try new things but eventually Gord convinced them to allow him to run a show of new music on Saturday afternoons, considered to be a dead time on the radio. He called his show the “Campus Corner”, a name he borrowed from the shoe department of the Ogilvy’s department store on Rideau Street. Gord ran the show from the Freiman’s department store in the Westgate Shopping plaza and it featured a mix of live performances and recordings. It was an immediate and overwhelming success soon outgrowing that venue and by 1963 changing to a Monday to Friday time slot and its name to the “Campus Club”, which eventually totalled some 30,000 members.

Gord created his own “Platter Poll” based on requests from his own listeners, rather than from nationally compiled lists of hits. Some of these listeners tuned in to late night radio from pioneering Rock & Roll hotbeds such as Buffalo and Rochester, allowing him to always be among the first to play new songs and new bands, often beating the major U.S. broadcasters by months.

Gord was also at the centre of the concert scene in Ottawa. He introduced the first “Happy Beat” concert in Ottawa, headlined by Bill Haley & His Comets, but also featuring Chuck Berry and the Platters. His best remembered concert was the April 3, 1957, appearance of Elvis Presley, one of only 3 such appearances outside of the United States throughout Elvis’ career. Elvis was eager to play Ottawa as he knew that his music was being well received and played here, based on the fan mail he had received. Later, in 1964, Gord took a group of some 40 Club members to see the Beatles in Maple Leaf Gardens. Returning home he told his family that he hadn’t heard them at all because of the constant screaming of the crowd.

Gord hosted a series of wildly successful talent shows at the Ottawa Coliseum, called the “Campus Hop”. This provided a venue for emerging local talent to perform and gain exposure – among many others, this helped launch the career of Vern Craig, later of the Staccatos, and the very popular Hugh Scott.

Speaking of the launching of careers, Gord introduced and promoted two local performers who would go on to become mega-stars in the entertainment world. Both Paul Anka and Rich Little owe their start to Gord Atkinson. Gord was the first in the world to play Paul Anka’s first big hit, Diana , Paul bringing the record to him for that purpose. Paul and Rich remained life-long friends with Gord and his family.

Life as a radio DJ, especially at that time, was highly competitive, demanding long hours and hard work. Gord maintained as successful a family life as he did a professional one, this due, in large part, to his wife Elaine, who raised their seven children and kept everything together and running.

Gord stepped away from the “Campus Club” in 1967 to run CFRA’s sister FM station, CFMO. He continued as a broadcaster with his other show “Show Bill” that he had started when first coming to Ottawa. Gord was also heavily involved in charitable work, most notably being one of the chief organizers, along with Rich Little of the 1982 Frank Sinatra concert that raised over $1,000,000 for a neo-natal unit at the Civic Hospital.

Peter has recorded many fascinating stories along with lots of photos, often previously unpublished, in his highly recommended book, “ Gord Atkinson: Ottawa’s Oldest Teenager”, which can be purchased at upcoming HSO in-person speaker series presentations at the library or through the Showbill website.

Rogers TV kindly recorded the lecture series on Ottawa's history given by Phil Jenkins for the Historical Society of Ottawa in April 2023.

Here is a list of the episodes: