John By - Founder of Ottawa

[Anke]

Not great images, actually forgive the terribleness of them, but in the village next to were I live is the memorial to John By (Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_By)) who founded what would become the city of Ottawa, the capital of Canada.

I thought of all my Canadian friends here on POTN might like to see it.

http://www.ankehuber.plus.com/potn/ottawap-1.jpg

http://www.ankehuber.plus.com/potn/ottawap-2.jpg

http://www.ankehuber.plus.com/potn/ottawaw-1.jpg

http://www.ankehuber.plus.com/potn/ottawaw-2.jpg

http://www.ankehuber.plus.com/potn/ottawaw-3.jpg

[Canonada]

Interesting shots. Not much of a memorial for someone with his accomplishments.
I just saw this post and could not let it pass into Internet oblivion with no comments.
The reason Col. John By was in the wilderness of Upper Canada from 1826 to 1832 was to build the Rideau Canal. The founding of Bytown, later to be known as Ottawa, was just an off shoot of the canal building effort.
The Rideau Canal is a 202km (123.5 mile) long waterway running from Kingston on Lake Ontario North to Ottawa on the Ottawa River. It is a slack water canal with locks, approx. 70 dams, numerous bridges and defensible block houses.
Following the War of 1812 with the United States, Britain was looking for a safe route to transport supplies and troupes from Lower Canada to Upper Canada. The existing route up the St. Lawrence River was open to attack from the Americans. So a route through the wilderness using two existing river systems and lakes was proposed. Because of his experience building canals in other British Colonies including India Col. By chosen to build it.
It was a remarkable accomplishment taking only 4 years to build with the loss of many lives.
At the start of the construction, Col. By took it upon himself to change the plans to enable steamboats to pass through the system. This resulted in a need to increase the size of the locks and excavate deeper channels which increased the total cost of the project.
As a result, upon completion of the Canal, Col. By called back to England and faced a inquiry for exceeding his budget. He lived the rest of his life in disgrace.
Now, the Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site used by recreational boaters.
On a personal note, prior to my retirement I was the Chief Engineer of the Rideau Canal.
Joe

[Anke]

Wow, thanks for posting such an interesting reply, Joe. Thanks muchly. :)

[Naturalist]

Very interesting reply Joe. I'm glad you placed it here as I am always interested in North American history.