A day-by-day account of Ottawa's history by James Powell
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22 October 1898 During the Victorian era, the lives of upper-class girls were tightly circumscribed by social convention. Any form of paid employment was unacceptable as this implied economic need. Painting, music and writing were encouraged but only an amateur basis. Manual labour was, of course, beyond the pale, though the study of household management—dealing … Continue reading Lady Aberdeen…
13 May 1987 Most Ottawa residents today would be surprised to learn that their city has a rich cinematographic history. Indeed, for many years during the mid-twentieth century, one could easily describe Canada’s capital as “Hollywood North” given the volume of films being produced here. In addition to films made by the National Film Board … Continue reading Hollywood North: The Amazing Crawley…
20 February 1965 When British pop groups stormed America’s musical ramparts in the 1960s, it was The Beach Boys who led the defence. The quintet, initially known for their surfing and car songs, not only held their own in the United States but made inroads abroad. Their songs resonated in Australia which had its own … Continue reading The Beach Boys Come to Ottawa
4 January 2013 But the cat came back the very next dayThe cat came back, they thought he was a gonerBut the cat came back; he just couldn’t stay away. If Mr. Freeze, the Director of Buildings and Property in the Public Works Department thought he had permanently evicted the cats on Parliament Hill in … Continue reading Parliamentary Cats, Part II: The Cat Sanctuary
20 November 1954 It is widely believed that cats have lived on Parliament Hill from the late nineteenth century—an antidote to a persistent rodent problem. However, the first newspaper reference that I could find to cats residing on the Hill dates to January 1924 when a short article appeared in The Globe about a fire … Continue reading Parliamentary Cats: The Peregrinations of Peregrine and…
15 June 1912 In late 1911, a group of Ottawa businessmen, led by Dr. R. Chevrier, chairman of Ottawa’s Civic Board of Health and the owner of a pharmacy and real estate companies in the Ottawa area, came up with what they thought was a brilliant idea. Let’s open an amusement park in Ottawa, akin … Continue reading Ottawa’s Coney Island: Kettle Island
18 September 1915 After the 1915 season of the Canadian Baseball League concluded in early September 1915 with the Ottawa Baseball Club, a.k.a. the Senators, capturing their fourth successive pennant, the team played two back-to-back exhibition series with the Cuban Giants and the Havana Red Sox. The two series were held at Lansdowne Park as … Continue reading Cuban Baseball Teams in Ottawa
1 October 1904 At the end of Laurier Avenue East, running south between Range Road and the Rideau River, you will find Strathcona Park. It’s a wonderful place to stroll, to enjoy nature in the heart of the city and to perhaps take in a neighbourhood ball game. The park dates to the early years … Continue reading Strathcona Park
26 March 1883 Dogs have been bred and crossbred for thousands of years to create breeds that excel in certain forms of work. The Basenji from Central Africa was developed to flush game and track lions, while the Afghan Hound was used to hunt in the cold, rugged mountains of Afghanistan. Similarly, sheep dogs were … Continue reading Curs and Thoroughbreds: First Ottawa Dog Show
22 August 1875 If you go for a stroll down Ottawa’s Elgin Street, you will walk past an elegant Victorian building with a mansard roof, capped with a central belfry and spires. Built 1874-75, the building was originally the “Ottawa Normal School” which instructed students in the “norms” of pedagogy. It later became known as … Continue reading The Ottawa Normal School
