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HSO 2026 Bytown200 Bicentennial Storytelling Collection
The Historical Society of Ottawa is proud to share stories about Bytown and the Rideau Canal to highlight the 200th anniversary of both in 2026.
Have a story to share as part of our Bytown200 Challenge? Follow this link to learn more: www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/hso-news/the-hso-2026-bytown200-bicentennial-storytelling-challenge
The HSO Bytown200 initiative has been made possible, in part, thanks to the generous legacy bequeathed to the Historical Society of Ottawa by the late Ms. Vivian Lawrence.
Bryan D. Cook – William Pittman Lett: Ottawa’s First City Clerk and Bard
28 December 2025
HSO
William Pittman Lett, who was 13 years old when the Rideau Canal opened, went on to witness and, through his poetry, chronicle the evolution of rough and tumble Bytown into…
Explore the Archives!
20 December 2025
Bryan D. Cook
Resources about Bytown and the Rideau Canal It is amazing what we can discover in our many Archives about Bytown and the Rideau Valley as they were before 1855. Archivists…
Chateau Lafayette Pre-History (1849-1863) – Ashley Newall
14 December 2025
HSO
Bytown’s taverns were notoriously abundant in number – but the Chateau Lafayette (“The Laff”) boasts the distinction of being the only of those Bytown era drinking houses to still remain…
Rochester’s Victoria Brewery (1829-1900) – Ashley Newall
10 December 2025
HSO
With that many thirsty labourers needed to build the Rideau Canal, it wasn’t long before Bytown’s first breweries came along. One of the first to open was Rochester’s Victoria Brewery.…
Défi Bytown200 de l'HSO: partage une histoire pour le bicentenaire en 2026
2 December 2025
La Société historique d'Ottawa
Les contributions en français sont les bienvenues! Aidez-nous à souligner l’année 2026, le 200e anniversaire du début de la construction du canal Rideau et de la fondation de Bytown. Nous…
André Lajoie – l’ICFO: Panorama Historique 1852
30 November 2025
HSO
Dating back to its founding in1852 Bytown, the ICFO (L’Institutcanadien-français d’Ottawa) has played a key role in preserving and promoting the French language and Francophone culture in our city for…
Ottawa Olde Forge Rug Hooking – Bytown200 Challenge
29 November 2025
HSO
What a spectacular and creative way to help chronicle two centuries of Ottawa history! We were thrilled when the enthusiastic members of the Ottawa Olde Forge Rug Hooking group approached…
Kevin Ballantyne – Bytown Artists
28 November 2025
HSO
How less rich would be our understanding of our past if not for the long ago artists who preserved those stunning images of early Bytown with the stroke of their…
James Powell – Today in Ottawa's History
31 October 2025
HSO
James Powell takes us back to the early days of the Rideau Canal and Bytown with stories about the Shiners’ War, the Stony Monday Riot, The ByWard Market, Bytown’s first…
Ken Watson – History of the Rideau Canal
30 October 2025
HSO
![This 1688 map [1910 copy] is one of the first to name the Rideau River. "Kataracoux" is today's Kingston and "Tonniata" is Brockville.](/media/k2/items/cache/3119c7be2ab58173062c39c6b8c72ed7_S.jpg?t=20260112_155343)
Ken Watson, a member of the Board of “Friends of the Rideau” since 1997, is a geologist with a deep interest in Rideau heritage and the environment. Ken recounts the…
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