Posted
December 31, 2013
On this date in 1857, Queen Victoria selected a small logging town as capital of Canada.
I
can just picture her announcing that Ottawa would be the new capital,
and larger cities such as Quebec City, Toronto, and Montreal looking
at one another and saying, “What? Who? Why?”
You
know, if cities could talk!
Actually,
Canada then (and to some extent now) was a little bit like two
different countries. In Canada East (once called “Lower Canada”),
the French-speaking people were primarily Catholic and conservative.
In Canada West, (once called “Upper Canada”), the
English-speaking people were primarily Protestant and reformist.
If
Queen Victoria had chosen Quebec City or Montreal as capital of the
entire nation, the people of Ontario (Canada West) would have been
quite unhappy. If she had chosen Toronto, of course, the people of
Quebec (Canada East) would've been unhappy. Ottawa was on the border
between the two regions and was therefore a compromise.
Also,
Montreal and Toronto were quite close to the U.S. border. The War of
1812 had shown that they were vulnerable to American attack—and
Ottawa was some 70 kilometers (more than 40 miles) away, and (at that
time) surrounded by dense-and-protective forest. Still, Ottawa could
easily be reached via the Ottawa River and a canal.
 |
| Ottawa sculptor John Ceprano stacks up rocks each summer to create an interesting sculpture. |
Fun
things about Ottawa
- An old jail (the county gaol) has been made into hotel.
There
is a Cold War Museum with the real bunker-for-Canada's-government,
preserved from the 1960s. There is a blast tunnel, the prime
minister's secret hideout, and a war room.
- Ottawa has a thriving “Chinatown,” with Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai restaurants as well as (of course) Chinese restaurants. And another neighborhood is called Little Italy!
- Supreme Court justices, members of Parliament, and lawyers take part in an annual “Lawyer Play” to raise funds for the Great Canadian Theatre Company.
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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