Join me as we wind back the time in Ottawa.
*PLEASE NOTE: Samuel de Champlain uses the term sauvage or savage (meaning wild or people of the forest) to refer to the Indigenous peoples of North America. It s important to understand that the term was not always used negatively and was used in a neutral or even positive context, particularly when referring to their natural [ ]
As the City Of Ottawa celebrates its 200th Anniversary this year, I began to think of all the historical milestones it has gone through since 1826. The construction of the Rideau Canal began in 1826, overseen by Lt.-Col. John By, from whom Bytown got its name, later being re-named Ottawa in 1855. Once a land [ ]
A recent study of an old map of the Great Lakes region revealed a curious detail that piqued my interest…a sketch of a village near Kingston called “Gonejou”. Having grown up in this area I had never heard of such a place and wondered if it was a case of mistaken geography and the map [ ]
As the Year 2025 draws to a close, I wanted to post one last article that takes some of the stories from the past and re-imagines them using current Ai imagery. Up until now, I have personally sketched in ink by hand many of the subjects covered in Ottawa Rewind in an attempt to help [ ]
Approximately an hour and a half drive west of Ottawa will take you to the popular summer village of Westport, a quaint town nestled at the foot of Foley Mountain. Perhaps it was this mountain, or the fact it has always been a bustling summer tourist hub, that made it the place where Mountain Dew [ ]
Travelling between Ottawa and Kingston today takes about 2 hours by car on either Highway 15 or the 416/401 route. A driver can have breakfast in Ottawa, throw on their favourite driving tunes and arrive in Kingston before lunch. This journey was not always so simple, in fact it would take days by steamship along [ ]
THE TRAGIC CRASH OF A WW-2 BOMBER IN A MANOTICK FARM FIELD After World War Two ended in 1945, many of the aircraft that were in service moved on to other roles in the 1950s. This included the North American B-25 Mitchell, an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and used by many [ ]
The year is 1854 and eight years prior, The Smithsonian Institution was formed in 1846 as a group of museums, education and research centres, created by the U.S. government for the increase and diffusion of knowledge . It still operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches [ ]
There is no replica structure, no plaque, not even a flagpole or an engraved rock. It does not appear on current maps and has been omitted from the tour books. Yet, for such an important historical marker in the National Capital s history, you would think they would put *something* to mark the spot the first [ ]
As the capital city of Canada, Ottawa contains a number of historical artifacts, and it may contain a historical relic beyond the scope of museums: The Oldest Original McDonald’s sign in Canada. BACKSTORY Back in the 1980s I visited my aunt in Kanata and we would often visit Bells Corners and pass by a McDonald’s [ ]