Most of us think of “Dow’s Swamp” as having disappeared during the construction of the Rideau Canal, two centuries ago, leaving us with what we know today as “Dow’s Lake”. But did you know that a remaining southern portion of Dow’s Swamp continued to thrive until Ottawa’s ever-expanding urban footprint brought about the final destruction of this vital and vibrant vestige of wetland in the 1950s? Long-time naturalist and plant ecologist Joyce Reddoch reminds us of our tragic loss of that precious remnant of primaeval ecosystem, as is illustrated in…

HSO is pleased to showcase the writings of Barry Padolsky, architect, urban designer, heritage advocate, and Winnipeg native. From Barry himself, an introduction to this venture: Friends and colleagues, I am pleased to share “A Winnipeg Boy’s Imaginings” (2021) , “Shoreline Poems”(2022) and “Alphabet Soup” (2024) , a collection of my sketches, graphics, architectural explorations, poems, essays short stories, urban research and other miscellanea. This little project launched when I was wondering what to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.  These volumes have also been published in hardcover, in a limited…

In 2023 we asked ourselves the question – are there ways the Historical Society of Ottawa can be of assistance to teachers who would like to expand their students knowledge of the Ottawa area’s local history? To that end, we have assembled an “Educational Resource List” and have made it available on our website. This Educational Resource List consists of more than 30 helpful links to specific stories from Ottawa’s past as well as links to additional resources. The links include short essays, pamphlets and video presentations from our own…

In January 2024, Andrea Bissonnette, Ben Weiss and myself had an extraordinary experience—the opportunity to sit down with Madame Adrienne Clarkson at the Château Laurier Hotel to have tea and chat about her past and Ottawa history more generally. For those who might need a reminder, after a stellar career as a journalist, Madame Clarkson was Canada’s governor general from 1999 to 2005, and the Historical Society of Ottawa’s patron. The story began in the spring of 2023 when Andrea contacted the Historical Society of Ottawa regarding an old family…