BECOME A MEMBER VOLUNTEER DONATE

PO Box 523, Station B,
Ottawa, ON, K1P 5P6

PO Box 523, Station B, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5P6

Alastair Sweeny – Lord Dalhousie and the Rideau Canal

George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie National Gallery of Canada

There was perhaps no greater proponent for construction of the Rideau Canal than Lord Dalhousie, Governor-in-Chief of British North America.

As part of the HSO 2026 Bytown200 Bicentennial Storytelling Challenge, Alastair Sweeny recounts the contributions of Lord (and Lady) Dalhousie to the establishment of the Rideau Canal and Bytown.

Alastair Sweeny, PhD is the author of several books on Canadian history and technology, including George-Étienne Cartier: A Biography, BlackBerry Planet, and Fire Along the Frontier: Great Battles of the War of 1812 and Thomas Mackay: The Laird of Rideau Hall and the Founding of Ottawa.

Dr. Sweeny is based in Ottawa and is a member of the Historical Society of Ottawa.

Read the essay here: Lord Dalhousie 

HSO
10 April 2026
Hits: 31