Working to preserve Ottawa's past
for future generations.
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.
Albert Dumont – The Kettle of Boiling Waters: Chaudière Falls, Algonquin Territory
4 February 2026
HSO
Algonquin elder Albert “South Wind” Dumont speaks of the immense spiritual significance of the Chaudière Falls, and cautions on the importance of decisions made regarding their future: The Kettle of…
David C. Martin – What a Surveyor Saw: John Burrows and the Rideau Canal
2 February 2026
HSO
What can we learn from the long-ago diaries of Rideau Canal surveyor John Burrows about how he perceived the landscape unfolding around him, through the lens of the British military,…
André Pinard – Première réunion publique bilingue à Bytown
31 January 2026
HSO
André Pinard takes us back to a pivotal moment in a period of cultural tension in Bytown. Read the story (in French): Première réunion publique bilingue à Bytown André Pinard is…
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…
Page 1 of 4
Quick Links
About
Supporting Partners
