YoCo Blogs

One Hundred and Eighty-Five Seasons and Counting…

This carpenter’s tool chest was owned and likely built by James Summers (1859-1939); a carpenter and foreman who worked on the Rideau Canal for more than 50 years. While the Canal was completed in 1832, the waterway and its locks required frequent maintenance by dedicated repair crews manned by craftsmen like Summers. Read More

Caught on Camera: Winston Churchill in Ottawa | Capturé sur photo: Winston Churchill à Ottawa

During a trip to the City of Ottawa Archives to collect photographs for our upcoming exhibit, I stumbled upon an album showing the iconic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visiting the city. I found it quite intriguing to see such a notable figure in front of many familiar landmarks in all of our daily lives. It was a poignant reminder that even though it can seem like historical figures are distant elements of the past, they were once very real people. Since Ottawa is probably the most likely places in Canada to host such visits, we are uniquely fortunate to share our wonderful home with a vast range of visitors past and present. Read More

Trees: The Root of Ottawa’s Economy | Les arbres, fondement de l’économie d’Ottawa

The timber trade was the main contributor to the Ottawa valley’s economy for around one hundred years. It began in 1806 when the Napoleonic blockade barred Britain from reaching the Baltic region – a main supplier of Britain’s timber. At the time Britain needed timber in order to maintain the expansion of its navy; this prompted them to look for other suppliers which lead them to Canada. Read More

Maple Syrup

P3008 Photograph, Gelatin Silver: Boys at a Sugar Bush One black and white gelatin […] Read more