126-785: The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario , Canada. Its 46 locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 feet) upstream along the Rideau River to the Rideau Lakes , and from there drop 50 metres (164 feet) downstream along the Cataraqui River to Kingston. The Rideau Canal opened in 1832 for commercial shipping. Freight
252-552: A lock system that is still fully functioning. The gates that let boats in and out of the locks last approximately 12–15 years. When the canal was constructed, the gates were made at the lock sites by carpenters and blacksmiths, but presently they are made in Smiths Falls , Ontario, and sometimes it takes up to two months to build a set of gates. The gates used on the Rideau Canal are made of Douglas Fir and are mitre-shaped to ensure
378-522: A boat up to 33.5 m (109 ft 11 in) in length by 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) in width can be handled. Four blockhouses were built from 1826 to 1832 to provide protection for the canal which was under the control of the British Forces : A fifth blockhouse at Burritts Rapids was partially built in 1832 before work was stopped with only the foundation and walls completed, then rebuilt in 1914–1915 and finally demolished to be replaced by
504-457: A capacity of 96 MW; and Hydro-Québec operates generators 6, 7, 8, and 9 with a capacity of 89 MW. Numerous non-contiguous areas of the Ottawa River and its shores are protected in a variety of provincial parks, conservation areas, and municipal parks. In Quebec, there are 3 national parks directly along the Ottawa River ( Oka National Park , Plaisance National Park , and Opémican National Park ), as well as one major nature reserve through which
630-692: A centre for Scottish migration in the 1930s. In 1961 a third of residents were born in Scotland, and in 2011 the figure was 12.7%. Other European countries have had their share of Scots immigrants. The Scots have emigrated to mainland Europe for centuries as merchants and soldiers. Many emigrated to France, Poland, Italy , Germany, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands. Recently some scholars suggested that up to 250,000 Russian nationals may have Scottish ancestry. A number of Scottish people settled in South Africa in
756-520: A connection to Scotland. This connection may be active through cultural, linguistic, friendship, or professional links, or who may simply be interested Scotland’s heritage or culture). The majority of Scotch-Irish Americans originally came from Lowland Scotland and Northern England before migrating to the province of Ulster in Ireland (see Plantation of Ulster ) and thence, beginning about five generations later, to North America in large numbers during
882-621: A low of 467 m /s (16,500 cu ft/s) in 2010 and a high of 9,094 m /s (321,200 cu ft/s) in 2017. The river flows through large areas of deciduous and coniferous forest formed over thousands of years as trees recolonized the Ottawa Valley after the ice age. Generally, the coniferous forests and blueberry bogs occur on old sand plains left by retreating glaciers, or in wetter areas with clay substrate. The deciduous forests, dominated by birch, maple, beech, oak and ash occur in more mesic areas with better soil, generally around
1008-575: A military route and incorporating 47 locks, 16 lakes, two rivers, and a 360-foot-long (110 m), 60-foot-high (18.3 m) dam at Jones Falls ( Jones Falls Dam ), was completed in 1832. Other plaques to the canal erected by the Ontario Heritage Trust are at Kingston Mills, Smiths Falls, and Rideau Lakes. The 202 kilometres (126 mi) of the Rideau Canal incorporate sections of the Rideau and Cataraqui rivers, as well as several lakes, including
1134-642: A misconception that workers were buried in unmarked graves). Some of the dead remain unidentified as they had no known relatives in Upper Canada. Memorials have been erected along the canal route, most recently the Celtic Cross memorials in Ottawa , Kingston and Chaffeys Lock. The first memorial on the Rideau Canal acknowledging deaths among the labour force was erected in 1993 by the Kingston and District Labour Council and
1260-628: A museum, 'The Scots House' in the town of Veere was the only place outwith Scotland where Scots Law was practised. In Rotterdam, meanwhile, the doors of the Scots International Church have remained open since 1643. The first Scots to be mentioned in Russia's history were the Scottish soldiers in Muscovy referred to as early as the 14th century. Among the 'soldiers of fortune' was the ancestor of
1386-557: A ruling class loyal to him. This Davidian Revolution , as many historians call it, brought a European style of feudalism to Scotland along with an influx of people of French descent – by invitation, unlike England where it was by conquest. To this day, many of the common family names of Scotland can trace ancestry to Normans from this period, such as the Stewarts , the Bruces , the Hamiltons ,
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#17328488574551512-534: A significant stage in human history – that of the fight to control the north of the American continent. A plaque was erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board at Jones Falls Lockstation commemorating Lieutenant Colonel John By, Royal Engineer, the superintending engineer in charge of the construction of the Rideau Canal. The plaque notes the 123-mile-long (198 km) Rideau Canal, built as
1638-526: A tight seal due to water pressure. The average Rideau Canal lock lift uses 1.3 million litres (1,300 m; 1,700 cu yd or 290,000 imp gal; 340,000 US gal) of water. In normal operations the canal can handle boats up to 27.4 m (89 ft 11 in) in length, 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) in width, and 6.7 m (22 ft) in height with a draft of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) (boats drafting over 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in). In special circumstances
1764-609: Is derived from the curtain-like appearance of the falls where they join the Ottawa River. After the War of 1812 , information was received about the United States ' plans to invade the British colony of Upper Canada from upstate New York by following the St. Lawrence River . This would have severed the lifeline between Montreal and a major naval base at Kingston. To protect against such an attack in
1890-660: Is in the Township of Whitewater Region , Ontario, protecting a series of pristine islands and a small undeveloped section of shoreline along the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. This section of the Ottawa River is known for its whitewater , and is used by a number of commercial rafting companies and many recreational kayakers and canoeists. The park is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no services and facilities for visitors. The park can be used for backcountry camping, whitewater canoeing, swimming, hunting, and fishing. Some of
2016-490: Is opened for the season. The Rideau Canal Skateway is maintained by the NCC ( National Capital Commission ). The ice is maintained by crews 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The snow and ice shavings are cleared off the surface every day and the ice surface is flooded each night with a "water dispersion machine" (weather permitting) to fill in any cracks caused by the contracting and expanding ice. There are approximately 20 holes along
2142-595: Is still spoken by a small number of residents. Cape Breton is the home of the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts . Glengarry County in present-day Eastern Ontario is a historic county that was set up as a settlement for Highland Scots , where many from the Highlands settled to preserve their culture as a result of the Highland Clearances. Gaelic was the native language of the community since its settlement in
2268-491: Is the fourth most commonly nominated ancestry and represents over 8.9% of the total population of Australia. Significant numbers of Scottish people also settled in New Zealand. Approximately 20 per cent of the original European settler population of New Zealand came from Scotland, and Scottish influence is still visible around the country. The South Island city of Dunedin , in particular, is known for its Scottish heritage and
2394-483: Is the result of 17th- and 18th-century immigration to Ireland from Scotland. In the English language, the word Scotch is a term to describe a thing from Scotland, such as Scotch whisky . However, when referring to people, the preferred term is Scots . Many Scottish people find the term Scotch to be offensive when applied to people. The Oxford Dictionary describes Scotch as an old-fashioned term for "Scottish". In
2520-788: The Britons , as well as the Gaels and the Picts . Germanic peoples included the Angles of Northumbria , who settled in south-eastern Scotland in the region between the Firth of Forth to the north and the River Tweed to the south. They also occupied the southwest of Scotland up to and including the Plain of Kyle . Their language, Old English , was the earliest form of the language which eventually became known as Scots . Use of
2646-630: The Caledonian Canal in Scotland . In 2000 the Rideau Waterway was designated a Canadian Heritage River in recognition of its outstanding historical and recreational values. In 2007 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognizing it as a work of human creative genius. The Rideau Canal was recognized as the best preserved example of a slack water canal in North America demonstrating
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#17328488574552772-562: The Duke of Wellington , at the time Master-General of the Ordnance , to become interested in the project. On 1 March, 1819, Wellington wrote a memorandum which, in part, advocated that the Rideau Canal should be built as part of the defence system for Canada. To ensure safe passage between Montreal and Kingston, a new route was planned that would proceed westward from Montreal along the St. Lawrence, north along
2898-511: The Early Middle Ages , Scotland saw several ethnic or cultural groups mentioned in contemporary sources, namely the Picts , the Gaels , the Britons , and the Angles , with the last of these settling in the southeast of the country. Culturally, these peoples are grouped according to language. Most of Scotland until the 13th century spoke Celtic languages , and these included, at least initially,
3024-685: The French River which later became a link in the historic canoe route to the West. As it does to this day, the river played a vital role in life of the Algonquin people , who lived throughout its watershed at contact. The river is called Kichisìpi , meaning "Great River" in Anicinàbemowin , the Algonquin language. The Algonquin define themselves in terms of their position on the river, referring to themselves as
3150-525: The Highland and Lowland Clearances , Scottish emigration to various locales throughout the British Empire , and latterly industrial decline and unemployment, have resulted in the spread of Scottish languages and culture . Large populations of Scottish people settled the ' New World ' lands of North and South America, Australia and New Zealand . The highest concentrations of people of Scottish descent in
3276-707: The Kingdom of Scotland (or Alba ) in the 9th century. In the following two centuries, Celtic-speaking Cumbrians of Strathclyde and Germanic-speaking Angles of Northumbria became part of Scotland. In the High Middle Ages , during the 12th-century Davidian Revolution , small numbers of Norman nobles migrated to the Lowlands. In the 13th century, the Norse-Gaels of the Western Isles became part of Scotland, followed by
3402-515: The Middle Ages . Craftsmen and tradesmen followed courtiers and in later centuries a brisk trade grew up between the two nations: Scotland's primary goods (wool, hides, salmon and then coal) in exchange for the luxuries obtainable in the Netherlands, one of the major hubs of European trade. By 1600, trading colonies had grown up on either side of the well-travelled shipping routes: the Dutch settled along
3528-679: The Norman invasion of England in 1066. South-east of the Firth of Forth , then in Lothian and the Borders ( OE: Loðene ), a northern variety of Old English , also known as Early Scots , was spoken. As a result of David I, King of Scots' return from exile in England in 1113, ultimately to assume the throne in 1124 with the help of Anglo-Norman military force, David invited Anglo-Norman families from France and England to settle in lands he granted them to spread
3654-687: The Norse of the Northern Isles in the 15th century. In modern usage, "Scottish people" or "Scots" refers to anyone whose linguistic, cultural, family ancestral or genetic origins are from Scotland. The Latin word Scoti originally referred to the Gaels, but came to describe all inhabitants of Scotland. Considered pejorative by some, the term Scotch has also been used for Scottish people, now primarily outwith Scotland. People of Scottish descent live in many countries. Emigration, influenced by factors such as
3780-595: The Ottawa River and Kingston where Lake Ontario flows into the Saint Lawrence River . In 1819, Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond , who was the Governor-in-Chief of British North America , planned to make an inspection of the planned route for the Canal. However, Richmond had been bitten by a fox, and died in a settlement near Richmond after experiencing symptoms of rabies. Richmond had earlier convinced
3906-478: The Ottawa River to the mouth of the Rideau River, later the site of Bytown (now Ottawa ), then southwest via canal to Kingston and out into Lake Ontario. The Rideau would form the last portion of this route, along with shorter canals at Grenville , Chute-à-Blondeau and Carillon to bypass rapids and other hazards along the route. The construction of the canal was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel John By of
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4032-576: The Rapide de la Veillée , the Trou , the Rapide des Deux Rivières , and the Rapide de la Roche Capitaine . (These rapids are now submerged under the reservoir of Holden Lake.) In 1800, explorer Daniel Harmon reported 14 crosses marking the deaths of voyageurs who had drowned in the dangerous waters along this section of the Ottawa. The main trading posts along the river were: Lachine , Fort Coulonge , Lac des Allumettes , Mattawa House , where west-bound canoes left
4158-476: The Royal Engineers . Private contractors such as future sugar refining entrepreneur John Redpath , Thomas McKay , Robert Drummond , Thomas Phillips, Andrew White and others were responsible for much of the construction, and the majority of the actual work was done by thousands of Irish , Scottish , and French-Canadian labourers. Colonel John By decided to create a slackwater canal system using dams to raise
4284-704: The St. Lawrence River valley and Lake Champlain , had been depressed to below sea level by the glacier's weight, filled with sea water. The resulting arm of the ocean is known as the Champlain Sea . Fossil remains of marine life dating 12 to 10 thousand years ago have been found in marine clay throughout the region. Sand deposits from this era have produced vast plains, often dominated by pine forests, as well as localized areas of sand dunes, such as Westmeath and Constance Bay. Clay deposits from this period have resulted in areas of poor drainage, large swamps, and peat bogs in some ancient channels of this river. Hence,
4410-711: The United States and Canada . Scots have travelled internationally for centuries, helping to build Scotland's international reputation and the promotion of Scottish culture , music , literature and art . The Scottish Government uses the term "Scottish connections" when described Scottish diaspora, and recognises Scottish connections as people of Scottish heritage (by ancestry, marriage or other family connection), lived diaspora (those who moved to Scotland to permanently reside at any time for any reason), educational diaspora (alumni of Scottish educational institutions, and Scots studying or working in international institutions) and affinity (individuals who associate themselves with
4536-702: The Wallaces and the Melvilles . The Northern Isles and some parts of Caithness were Norn -speaking (the west of Caithness was Gaelic-speaking into the 20th century, as were some small communities in parts of the Central Highlands). From 1200 to 1500, the Early Scots language spread across the lowland parts of Scotland between Galloway and the Highland line, being used by Barbour in his historical epic The Brus in
4662-783: The plantation of Ulster , resulted in a Presbyterian and Scottish society, which formed the Ulster-Scots community. The Protestant Ascendancy did not however benefit them much, as the ascendancy was predominantly Anglican . The number of people of Scottish descent in England and Wales is difficult to quantify due to the many complex migrations on the island, and ancient migration patterns due to wars, famine and conquest. The 2011 Census recorded 708,872 people born in Scotland resident in England, 24,346 resident in Wales and 15,455 resident in Northern Ireland. Northamptonshire town Corby became
4788-561: The 1800s and were known for their road-building expertise, their farming experience, and architectural skills. The largest population of Scots in Latin America is found in Argentina , followed by Chile , , Colombia and Mexico . It is said that the first people from the Low Countries to settle in Scotland came in the wake of Maud's marriage to the Scottish king, David I , during
4914-444: The 1840s, Scots-born immigrants constituted 12% of the non-Aboriginal population. Out of the 1.3 million migrants from Britain to Australia in the period from 1861 to 1914, 13.5% were Scots. Just 5.3% of the convicts transported to Eastern Australia between 1789 and 1852 were Scots. A steady rate of Scottish immigration continued into the 20th century and substantial numbers of Scots continued to arrive after 1945. From 1900 until
5040-484: The 18th century although the number of speakers decreased as a result of English migration . As of the modern 21st century, there are still a few Gaelic speakers in the community. John Kenneth Galbraith in his book The Scotch (Toronto: MacMillan, 1964) documents the descendants of 19th-century Scottish pioneers who settled in Southwestern Ontario and affectionately referred to themselves as 'Scotch'. He states
5166-529: The 1950s, Scots favoured New South Wales, as well as Western Australia and Southern Australia. A strong cultural Scottish presence is evident in the Highland Games , dance, Tartan Day celebrations, clan and Gaelic-speaking societies found throughout modern Australia. According to the 2011 Australian census , 130,204 Australian residents were born in Scotland, while 1,792,600 claimed Scottish ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry. This
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5292-584: The 19th century. Today, immigrants have brought other languages, such as Polish , Punjabi and Urdu , but almost every adult throughout Scotland is fluent in the English language. Historian Susan Reynolds has put forward how, since the Middle Ages , there have been attempts to obfuscate the ethnic plurality of Scottish people due to the political practicalities of nation building . Academics have explored how 15th and 16th-century Scottish poets and orators, such as Blind Harry , constructed terms such as 'trew Scottis' in an effort to diminish differences between
5418-661: The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec . It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border between these two provinces. It is a major tributary of the St. Lawrence River and the longest river in Quebec. The river rises at Lac des Outaouais, north of the Laurentian Mountains of central Quebec, and flows west to Lake Timiskaming . From there its route has been used to define
5544-409: The Canals and Recreational Destinations series. The stamps were designed by Carey George and Dean Martin, based on paintings by Vincent McIndoe. In 2014, the canal appeared on a $ 2.50 international rate stamp as part of a Canada Post set honoring World Heritage Sites. The same design was reprised on a 2016 domestic-rate stamp. In 1993, British Waterways and Parks Canada agreed to twin the canal with
5670-406: The Commissariat Building has housed the Bytown Museum since 1917. Parliament Hill was intended to be the site of a fortress, to be called Citadel Hill, where the canal ended at the Ottawa River. In winter, a section of the Rideau Canal passing through central Ottawa becomes officially the world's largest and second longest skating rink . The cleared length is 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi) and has
5796-442: The French River and Georgian Bay , thereby enabling traffic on the upper Great Lakes to use canals all the way to Montreal and avoid shipping through the entire lakes system. This plan eventually emerged as the Trent-Severn Waterway . It had originally been surveyed as a military route but never built. A simpler plan was to route around the dangerous parts of the St. Lawrence to allow direct shipping from Kingston to Montreal, and this
5922-487: The Gaelic language spread through nearly the whole of Scotland by the 9th century, reaching a peak in the 11th to 13th centuries, but was never the language of the south-east of the country. King Edgar divided the Kingdom of Northumbria between Scotland and England; at least, most medieval historians now accept the 'gift' by Edgar. In any case, after the later Battle of Carham the Scottish kingdom encompassed many English people, with even more quite possibly arriving after
6048-438: The Great Lakes. It was also used by tens of thousands of immigrants from the British Isles heading westward into Upper Canada in this period. It was a major route for shipping heavy goods (timber, minerals, grain) from Canada's hinterland east to Montreal. Hundreds of barge loads of goods were shipped each year along the Rideau; in 1841, for instance, some 19 steamboats, 3 self-propelled barges, and 157 unpowered or tow barges used
6174-606: The Kinouncherpirini or Keinouch, ever inhabited the Ottawa Valley . In 1615, Samuel de Champlain and Étienne Brûlé , assisted by Algonquin guides, were the first Europeans to travel up the Ottawa River and follow the water route west along the Mattawa and French Rivers to the Great Lakes. See Canadian Canoe Routes (early) . For the following two centuries, this route was used by French fur traders , voyageurs and coureurs des bois to Canada's interior. The river posed serious hazards to these travellers. The section near Deux Rivières used to have spectacular and wild rapids, namely
6300-424: The Lower, Upper and Big Rideau lakes. About 19 km (12 mi) of the route is artificial. Communities along the waterway include Ottawa , Manotick , Kars , Burritts Rapids , Merrickville , Smiths Falls , Rideau Ferry , Portland , Westport , Newboro , Seeleys Bay and Kingston . Communities connected by navigable waterways to the Rideau Canal include Kemptville and Perth . Since World War I and
6426-403: The NCC. The ideal ("very good") conditions mean there are "a limited number of pressure cracks", the ice is very hard and durable overall, the ice surface is clean and smooth, there are a "limited number of rough areas", and there is a "very good gliding surface." Ottawa River The Ottawa River ( French : Rivière des Outaouais , Algonquin : Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi ) is a river in
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#17328488574556552-417: The Omàmiwinini, 'down-river people'. Although a majority of the Algonquin First Nation lives in Quebec, the entire Ottawa Valley is Algonquin traditional territory. Present settlement is a result of adaptations made as a result of settler pressures. Some early European explorers, possibly considering the Ottawa River to be more significant than the Upper St. Lawrence River, applied the name River Canada to
6678-450: The Ontario Heritage Foundation at Kingston Mills . Three canal era cemeteries are open to the public today: Chaffey's Cemetery and Memory Wall at Chaffey's Lock—this cemetery was used from 1825 to the late 19th century; the Royal Sappers and Miners Cemetery (originally called the Military and Civilian Cemetery and then as the Old Presbyterian Cemetery) near Newboro—used from 1828 to the 1940s; and McGuigan Cemetery near Merrickville—used from
6804-432: The Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River below the confluence at Montreal. As the extent of the Great Lakes became clear and the river began to be regarded as a tributary, it was variously known as the Grand River , "Great River" or Grand River of the Algonquins before the present name was settled upon. This name change resulted from the Ottawa peoples ' control of the river circa 1685. However, only one band of Ottawa,
6930-429: The Ottawa River include (in down-stream order): The Ottawa River lies in the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben , which is a Mesozoic rift valley that formed 175 million years ago. Much of the river flows through the Canadian Shield, although lower areas flow through limestone plains and glacial deposits. As the glacial ice sheet began to retreat at the end of the last ice age , the Ottawa River valley, which, along with
7056-452: The Rideau Canal Skateway opens in January and closes in March. Because of global warming , the region's average winter temperature has risen at an accelerating rate since the 1970s, which has gradually pushed back the opening day of skating and shortened the skating season. In 1971–1972, the Skateway's second winter, the skating season was 90 days long, which was its longest season. By 2022–23, warm temperatures combined with snow and rain led to
7182-415: The Rideau Canal was rebranded as "the world's largest skating rink". The Rideau Canal Skateway was added to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2005 for being the largest naturally frozen ice rink in the world. As of 2023, the Streetview feature of Google Maps allows you to "skate" the length of the skateway. The Skateway is open 24 hours a day. The length of the season depends on the weather, but typically
7308-468: The Rideau Canal. The canal had to compete with the Erie Canal through New York State. Some of the shipments that might have been made from Kingston east, instead were taken to the opposite side of the St. Lawrence River to Oswego, New York . There they traveled by the Oswego Canal to reach the Erie and, via the Hudson River , New York City markets. Businessmen in Kingston studied the issue. They considered building another canal to Lake Simcoe and on to
7434-401: The Rideau forms part of the Great Loop , a major waterway route connecting a large area of the eastern United States and Canada. As many as one thousand of the workers died during the construction of the canal. Most deaths were from disease, principally complications from malaria ( P. vivax ), which was endemic in Ontario within the range of the Anopheles mosquito, and other diseases of
7560-420: The Rideau was not put to defensive use, it played a pivotal role in the early development of Canada and encouraged shipping, trade, and settlement of Upper Canada by tens of thousands of immigrants. The canal was easier to navigate than the St. Lawrence River because of significant rapids in the river between Montreal and Kingston. As a result, the Rideau Canal became a busy commercial artery between Montreal and
7686-525: The Scots. The Russian census lists do not distinguish Scots from other British people, so it is hard to establish reliable figures for the number of Scots living and working in modern Russia. From as far back as the mid-16th century there were Scots trading and settling in Poland . A "Scotch Pedlar's Pack in Poland" became a proverbial expression. It usually consisted of cloths, woollen goods and linen kerchiefs (head coverings). Itinerants also sold tin utensils and ironware such as scissors and knives. Along with
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#17328488574557812-399: The Skateway starts as early as mid-October. At the end of the boating season, the water is drained at the Ottawa locks near Parliament by Parks Canada. Facilities on the ice such as shelters, chalets, and access ramps for vehicles are then installed. Next, "beams are placed at the locks, and the water is raised to skating level." After this step, the essentials are added such as stairs to access
7938-418: The South Island. All over New Zealand, the Scots developed different means to bridge the old homeland and the new. Many Caledonian societies were formed, well over 100 by the early twentieth century, that helped maintain Scottish culture and traditions. From the 1860s, these societies organised annual Caledonian Games throughout New Zealand. The Games were sports meets that brought together Scottish settlers and
8064-412: The St. Lawrence River. In the 1950s it was developed as the current Saint Lawrence Seaway , which allowed ocean-going ships access to the Great Lakes. After the arrival of railway routes into Ottawa, most use of the canal was for pleasure craft. The introduction of the outboard motor led to an increase in small pleasure craft and increasing use of inland waterways like the Rideau and Trent-Severn. Today
8190-441: The Westmeath sand dune/wetland complex, Mississippi Snye, Breckenridge Nature Reserve, Shirleys Bay, Ottawa Beach/Andrew Haydon Park, Petrie Island, the Duck Islands and Greens Creek. The Westmeath sand dune/wetland complex is significant for its relatively pristine sand dunes, few of which remain along the Ottawa River, and the many associated rare plants. Shirleys Bay has a biologically diverse shoreline alvar, as well as one of
8316-599: The area around Edinburgh. Their descendants gradually occupied all of the Lowlands." Knox College 's Stuart Macdonald, who specialises in early modern Scottish history, writes that during the 18th and 19th centuries, the people of Scotland remained grouped into multiple ethnicities: To speak of Scots as a single ethnic group is also somewhat problematic. It would be more accurate in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to talk of two distinct Scottish ethnic communities divided by language and culture, and, at times, mutual antagonisms – Highlanders and Lowlanders. With regard to
8442-426: The best-known being James Wylie . The next wave of migration established commercial links with Russia. The 19th century witnessed the immense literary cross-references between Scotland and Russia. A Russian scholar, Maria Koroleva, distinguishes between 'the Russian Scots' (properly assimilated) and 'Scots in Russia', who remained thoroughly Scottish. There are several societies in contemporary Russia to unite
8568-481: The book was meant to give a true picture of life in the community in the early decades of the 20th century. By 1830, 15.11% of the colonies' total non-Aboriginal population were Scots, which increased by the middle of the century to 25,000, or 20–25% of the non-Aboriginal population. The Australian Gold Rush of the 1850s provided a further impetus for Scottish migration: in the 1850s 90,000 Scots immigrated to Australia, far more than other British or Irish populations at
8694-452: The boundary with the La Varendrye Park. These primeval forests were occasionally affected by natural fire, mostly started by lightning, which led to increased reproduction by pine and oak, as well as fire barrens and their associated species. The vast areas of pine were exploited by early loggers. Later generations of logging removed hemlock for use in tanning leather, leaving a permanent deficit of hemlock in most forests. Associated with
8820-400: The canal actually opened. Although some residents of Ottawa used the canal as an impromptu skating surface for years, the official use of the canal as a skateway and tourist attraction is a more recent innovation. As recently as 1970, however, city government of Ottawa considered paving over the canal to make an expressway . The federal government's ownership of the canal, however, prevented
8946-420: The canal the first weekend. Today the skating area of the canal is larger because of the equipment available for ice resurfacing and 24/7 maintenance crews. The skateway now has an average of one million visits per year. City councillor and author Clive Doucet credits this transformation of the canal with reinvigorating the communities of the Glebe , Old Ottawa East and Old Ottawa South . The preparation for
9072-473: The canal's construction was £ 822,804 when all the costs, including land acquisition, were accounted for (January 1834). Because of the unexpected cost overruns, John By was recalled to London and was retired; he received no accolades or recognition for his tremendous accomplishment. Since the canal was completed, no further military engagements have taken place between Canada and the United States. Although
9198-607: The city from pursuing this proposal. When Doug Fullerton was appointed chair of the National Capital Commission , he proposed a recreational corridor around the canal, including the winter skateway between Carleton University and Confederation Park . The plan was implemented on January 18, 1971, despite opposition by city council . A small section of ice near the National Arts Centre was cleared by NCC employees with brooms and shovels, and 50,000 people skated on
9324-422: The construction of more extensive rail lines into rural Ontario, only pleasure craft make use of the Rideau Canal. It takes 3–5 days to travel one way through the Rideau Canal system by motor boat. Boat tours of the canal are offered in Ottawa, Kingston, Merrickville, and Chaffeys Lock. A cruise line operates the ship Kawartha Voyageur . Recreational boaters can use it to travel between Ottawa and Kingston. Most of
9450-465: The current lock station in 1969. The Commissariat Building is the oldest stone building still standing in Ottawa. It was built in 1827 as a storehouse for the British Military in Upper Canada. The building has three floors, a secure vault, two sets of staircases, and a block and tackle on the front for hauling goods into the upper floors. After being divided into workshops and residential apartments,
9576-425: The day. Accidents were fairly rare for a project of this size; in 1827 there were seven accidental deaths recorded. Inquests were held for each accidental death. The men, women and children who died were buried in local cemeteries, either burial grounds set up near work sites or existing local cemeteries. Funerals were held for the workers and the graves marked with wooden markers (which have since rotted away—leading to
9702-493: The descendants of emigrants, often Gaelic-speaking, from the Maritime Provinces of Canada , from the 1880s onward. Americans of Scottish descent outnumber the population of Scotland, where 4,459,071 or 88.09% of people identified as ethnic Scottish in the 2001 Census. In the 2013 American Community Survey 5,310,285 identified as Scottish and 2,976,878 as of Scots-Irish descent. Americans of Scottish descent outnumber
9828-498: The distribution of forests and wetlands is very much a product of these past glacial events. Large deposits of a material commonly known as Leda clay also formed. These deposits become highly unstable after heavy rains. Numerous landslides have occurred as a result. The former site of the town of Lemieux, Ontario collapsed into the South Nation River in 1993. The town's residents had previously been relocated because of
9954-509: The dominant plant species in them: Scirpus , Eleocharis , Sparganium and Typha . Which type occurs in a particular location depends upon factors such as substrate type, water depth, ice-scour and fertility. Inland, and mostly south of the river, older river channels, which date back to the end of the ice age, and no longer have flowing water, have sometimes filled with a different wetland type, peat bog. Examples include Mer Bleue and Alfred Bog. Major tributaries include: Communities along
10080-435: The early 19th century (c. 1805) to the late 1890s. The Rideau Canal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1925, and marked with a federal plaque the next year, and again in 1962 and 2013. The canal has been featured on postage stamps issued by Canada Post . Two 45-cent stamps—'Rideau Canal, Summer Boating at Jones Falls' and 'Rideau Canal, Winter Skating by Parliament'—were issued on June 17, 1998, as part of
10206-566: The eastern seaboard of Scotland; the Scots congregating first in Campvere —where they were allowed to land their goods duty-free and run their own affairs—and then in Rotterdam , where Scottish and Dutch Calvinism coexisted comfortably. Besides the thousands (or, according to one estimate, over 1 million) of local descendants with Scots ancestry, both ports still show signs of these early alliances. Now
10332-432: The eighteenth century. In the 2000 census, 4.8 million Americans self-reported Scottish ancestry, 1.7% of the total U.S. population. Over 4.3 million self-reported Scotch-Irish ancestry, for a total of 9.2 million Americans self-reporting some kind of Scottish descent. Self-reported numbers are regarded by demographers as massive under-counts, because Scottish ancestry is known to be disproportionately under-reported among
10458-709: The equivalent surface area of 90 Olympic ice hockey rinks . It runs from the Hartwells Lockstation at Carleton University to the locks between the Parliament Buildings and the Château Laurier , including Dow's Lake in between. It serves as a popular tourist attraction and recreational area and is also the focus of the Winterlude festival in Ottawa. In the Winter of 2022-2023, unseasonably warm weather prevented
10584-911: The ethnic groups living within Scotland in the popular consciousness. A 1974 International Political Science Association report defined this ethnic plurality in Scotland as the following: "The basic ethnic and cultural division in the British Isles has been that between the Anglo-Saxon peoples of England and the Scottish Lowlands and the Celtic peoples of Wales, Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. In 2014, historian Steven L. Danver, who specialises in indigenous ethnic research, wrote regarding Lowlands Scots and Gaelic Scots' unique ancestries: "The people of Scotland are divided into two groups - Lowland Scots in
10710-525: The famous Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov , called George Learmonth. A number of Scots gained wealth and fame in the times of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great . These include Admiral Thomas Gordon , Commander-in-Chief of Kronstadt , Patrick Gordon , Paul Menzies , Samuel Greig , Charles Baird , Charles Cameron , Adam Menelaws and William Hastie . Several doctors to the Russian court were from Scotland,
10836-452: The first ever season with zero skating days. Before then, the 2015–2016 season was the shortest in which the Skateway was opened, being a mere 34 days long (and with only 18 skating days). On January 21, 2024, the canal opened for the first time in nearly two years, yet was only open for 10 days of skating before it closed for the season on February 25, marking the shortest skating season in which
10962-611: The future, the British began the construction or reinforcement of a number of defences including Citadel Hill in Halifax , La Citadelle in Quebec City , and Fort Henry in Kingston. In 1816, Sir Joshua Jebb completed a survey for a canal offering access to the Canadian heartland. However, his plan was not followed by Colonel By in building the Rideau Canal ; By had chosen a route between
11088-442: The great seal of King Edgar (1074–1107). Alexander I ( c. 1078 –1124) used the words Rex Scottorum on his great seal, as did many of his successors up to and including James VI . In modern times, the words Scot and Scottish are applied mainly to inhabitants of Scotland. The possible ancient Irish connotations are largely forgotten. The language known as Ulster Scots , spoken in parts of northeastern Ireland,
11214-463: The ice cap. The other type of ice is called "clear ice", which has a colourless appearance and is formed when ice crystals build up below the frozen surface in cold temperatures. If snow accumulates on the ice it can negatively impact the conditions for skating. Snow depresses the ice surface and slows down the formation of ice crystals beneath the surface. Ice conditions can be classified as very good, good, fair or poor. They are updated twice daily by
11340-470: The ice, and hookups for both plumbing and electricity. The ice cap that forms as the canal freezes becomes the Rideau Canal Skateway. When the canal has built up a sufficient ice thickness, snow is removed from the ice surface and it is flooded in order to make the ice even more thick and smooth. Samples of ice are tested for quality and thickness. When it is safe to skate on, the Rideau Canal Skateway
11466-555: The interprovincial border with Ontario. From Lake Timiskaming, the river flows southeast to Ottawa and Gatineau , where it tumbles over Chaudière Falls and further takes in the Rideau and Gatineau rivers. The Ottawa River drains into the Lake of Two Mountains and the St. Lawrence River at Montreal . The river is 1,271 km (790 mi) long; it drains an area of 146,300 km (56,500 sq mi), 65 per cent in Quebec and
11592-400: The islands included in the park are Big, Butternut, Cedar, Hazelton, and Lorne Islands, in addition to many unnamed islands. They consists of marble bedrock or low-lying alluvial sands and silts. A total of sixteen regionally significant plant species, such as little bluestem ( Andropogon scoparius ), cordgrass ( Spartina pectinata ) and Indiangrass ( Sorghastrum nutans ) have been found in
11718-444: The largest silver maple swamps along the river. Like all wetlands, these depend upon the seasonal fluctuations in the water level. High water levels help create and maintain silver maple swamps, while low water periods allow many rare wetland plants to grow on the emerged sand and clay flats. There are five principal wetland vegetation types. One is swamp, mostly silver maple. There are four herbaceous vegetation types, named for
11844-433: The last few centuries. Highlanders moved to major cities (e.g. Glasgow and Edinburgh) and regions bordering the southern Highlands (e.g. Lowland Stirlingshire and Perthshire). This is evidenced by people with traditional Gaelic surnames (including anglicised varieties) currently living in these areas. Lowlanders also settled in Highland regions such as Moray , which was traditionally Gaelic-speaking but replaced with Doric in
11970-512: The late 14th century in Aberdeen. From 1500 on, Scotland was commonly divided by language into two groups of people, Gaelic-speaking " Highlanders " (the language formerly called Scottis by English speakers and known by many Lowlanders in the 18th century as " Erse ") and the Inglis -speaking " Lowlanders " (a language later to be called Scots ). However, movement between the two regions increased over
12096-475: The locks are still hand-operated. There are a total of 45 locks at 23 stations along the canal, plus two locks (locks 33 and 34) at the entrance to the Tay Canal (leading to Perth). The elevation between the Ottawa River and its summit at Upper Rideau Lake, is 83 metres (273 feet), the elevation change from Upper Rideau Lake to Lake Ontario is 50 metres (164 feet). Furthermore, there are four blockhouses and some of
12222-453: The logging and early settlement were vast wild fires which not only removed the forests, but led to soil erosion. Consequently, nearly all the forests show varying degrees of human disturbance. Tracts of older forest are uncommon, and hence they are considered of considerable importance for conservation. The Ottawa River has large areas of wetlands. Some of the more biologically important wetland areas include (going downstream from Pembroke),
12348-609: The majority of mixed ancestry, and because areas where people reported "American" ancestry were the places where, historically, Scottish and Scotch-Irish Protestants settled in North America (that is: along the North American coast, Appalachia , and the Southeastern United States ). Scottish Americans descended from nineteenth-century Scottish emigrants tend to be concentrated in the West, while many in New England are
12474-476: The opening of the Skateway for Winterlude. Beaver Tails , a fried dough pastry, are sold along with other snacks and beverages, in kiosks on the skateway. Kiosks were removed in early 2023 due to the resulting lack of tourism. In January 2008, Winnipeg , Manitoba , achieved the record of the world's longest skating rink at a length of 8.54 kilometres but with a width of only 2 to 3 metres wide on its Assiniboine River and Red River at The Forks . In response,
12600-617: The original 16 defensible lockmasters residences along the waterway. The original Commissariat Building and foundation of the Royal Engineers' barracks remain at the Ottawa Lock Station. The waterway is home to many species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and fish. In 1973–74 a new Smiths Falls Combined Lock, 29a, was built a few dozen metres to the north of the original flight of three locks (locks 28–30). The original locks were bypassed but left in place. The Rideau Canal uses
12726-421: The park, as well as the nationally significant lake cress ( Rorippa aquatica ). Scottish people Modern ethnicities The Scottish people or Scots ( Scots : Scots fowk ; Scottish Gaelic : Albannaich ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland . Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples , the Picts and Gaels , who founded
12852-478: The period spanning the 16th century to the 18th century, sociologist Ian Carter's research into marriage patterns found little intermarrying between the groups. Today, Scotland has a population of just over five million people, the majority of whom consider themselves Scottish. It is estimated around 40 million people worldwide claim Scottish ancestry, particularly in Australia , New Zealand , continental Europe ,
12978-515: The population of Scotland, where 4,459,071 or 88.09% of people identified as ethnic Scottish in the 2001 Census. The number of Americans with a Scottish ancestor is estimated to be between 9 and 25 million (up to 8.3% of the total US population), and "Scotch-Irish", 27 to 30 million (up to 10% of the total US population), but these subgroups overlap and are often not distinguishable. The majority of Scotch-Irish originally came from Lowland Scotland and Northern England before migrating to
13104-501: The protection offered by King Stephen in the Royal Grant of 1576, a district in Kraków was assigned to Scottish immigrants. Records from 1592 mention Scots settlers who were granted citizenship of Kraków give their employment as traders or merchants. Fees for citizenship ranged from 12 Polish florins to a musket and gunpowder, or an undertaking to marry within a year and a day of acquiring
13230-671: The province of Ulster in Ireland (see Plantation of Ulster ) and thence, beginning about five generations later, to North America in large numbers during the 18th century. Several Presidents of the United States have claimed Scottish ancestry or Scotch-Irish ancestry, including James Monroe through his great-great-grandfather Patrick Andrew Monroe emigrated to America, Andrew Jackson , Theodore Roosevelt , Franklin D. Roosevelt , Harry S. Truman , Lyndon B. Johnson , Richard Nixon , Ronald Reagan , Bill Clinton , George W. Bush and Donald Trump , whose mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump ,
13356-536: The question and the numerous responses for "Canadian" do not give an accurate figure for numerous groups, particularly those of British Isles origins. Scottish-Canadians are the 3rd biggest ethnic group in Canada. Scottish culture has particularly thrived in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia ( Latin for "New Scotland"). There, in Cape Breton , where both lowland and highland Scots settled in large numbers, Canadian Gaelic
13482-612: The rest in Ontario, with a mean discharge of 1,950 m /s (69,000 cu ft/s). It has a maximum depth of 90 m (300 ft) at the Carillon Reservoir and is 7,400 m (24,300 ft) wide at its widest part. The average annual mean waterflow measured at Carillon dam , near the Lake of Two Mountains, is 1,939 m /s (68,500 cu ft/s), with average annual extremes of 749 to 5,351 m /s (26,500 to 189,000 cu ft/s). Record historic levels since 1964 are
13608-466: The river and Fort Témiscamingue . From Lake Timiskaming a portage led north to the Abitibi River and James Bay. In the early 19th century, the Ottawa River and its tributaries were used to gain access to large virgin forests of white pine . A booming trade in timber developed, and large rafts of logs were floated down the river. A scattering of small subsistence farming communities developed along
13734-537: The river runs ( La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve ). Several ZECs ( zone d'exploitation contrôlée ) also line the Ottawa River. Ontario has 7 provincial parks along the banks of the Ottawa River: Voyageur Provincial Park , Fitzroy Provincial Park , Ottawa River Provincial Park, Westmeath Provincial Park , Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park , Driftwood Provincial Park , and Alexander Lake Forest Provincial Park ). The Ottawa River Provincial Park
13860-445: The river. In 1950, the dam at Rapides-des-Joachims was built, forming Holden Lake behind it and thereby submerging the rapids and portages at Deux Rivières. These hydro dams have had negative effects upon shoreline and wetland ecosystems, and are thought to also be responsible for the near extermination of American eels , which were once an abundant species in the river, but which are now uncommon. As an economic route, its importance
13986-673: The shores of the river to provide manpower for the lumber camps in winter. In 1832, following the War of 1812 , the Ottawa River gained strategic importance when the Carillon Canal was completed. Together with the Rideau Canal , the Carillon Canal was constructed to provide an alternate military supply route to Kingston and Lake Ontario , bypassing the route along the Saint Lawrence River . A pulp and paper mill (at Témiscaming ) and several hydroelectric dams have been constructed on
14112-399: The side of the Skateway that flood the ice surface to make it smoother for skaters. Two types of ice can form on the Rideau Canal Skateway, which are "white ice" and " clear ice ". White ice has a milky appearance with air bubbles, and is formed when snow and water mix and then freeze. White ice can also be formed by mechanically flooding the ice surface with water to increase the thickness of
14238-468: The southern part of the country and Highland Scots in the north - that differ from one another ethnically, culturally, and linguistically ... Lowlanders differ from Highlanders in their ethnic origin. While Highland Scots are of Celtic (Gaelic) descent, Lowland Scots are descended from people of Germanic stock. During the seventh century C.E., settlers of Germanic tribes of Angles moved from Northumbria in present-day northern England and southeastern Scotland to
14364-676: The suspected instability of the earth in that location. As the land gradually rose again the sea coast retreated and the fresh water courses of today took shape. Following the demise of the Champlain Sea the Ottawa River Valley continued to drain the waters of the emerging Upper Great Lakes basin through Lake Nipissing and the Mattawa River . Owing to the ongoing uplift of the land, the eastward flow became blocked around 4000 years ago. Thereafter Lake Nipissing drained westward, through
14490-709: The time. Literacy rates of the Scottish immigrants ran at 90–95%. By 1860, Scots made up 50% of the ethnic composition of Western Victoria , Adelaide , Penola and Naracoorte . Other settlements in New South Wales included New England , the Hunter Valley and the Illawarra . Much settlement followed the Highland Potato Famine , Highland Clearances and the Lowland Clearances of the mid-19th century. In
14616-410: The use of European slackwater technology in North America on a large scale. It is the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century that remains operational along its original line with most of its original structures intact. It was also recognized as an extensive, well preserved and significant example of a canal which was used for military purposes linked to
14742-581: The water level to sink rapids instead of constructing new channels around them. This was a better approach as it required fewer workers, was more cost effective, and would have been easier to build. The canal work started in the fall of 1826, and it was completed by the spring of 1832. The first full steamboat transit of the canal was made by Robert Drummond's steamboat, Rideau (aka "Pumper"), leaving Kingston on May 22, 1832, with Colonel By and family on board, and arriving in Bytown on May 29, 1832. The final cost of
14868-529: The wider New Zealand public. In so doing, the Games gave Scots a path to cultural integration as Scottish New Zealanders. In the 1961 census there were 47,078 people living in New Zealand who were born in Scotland; in the 2013 census there were 25,953 in this category. Many people of Scottish descent live in other parts of the United Kingdom. In Ulster particularly the colonial policies of James VI , known as
14994-597: The word Scottorum for the nation from Ireland who settled part of the Pictish lands: " Scottorum nationem in Pictorum parte recipit ." This can be inferred to mean the arrival of the people, also known as the Gaels , in the Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the western edge of Scotland. Bede used the word natio (nation) for the Scots, where he often refers to other peoples, such as the Picts, with
15120-458: The word gens (race). In the 10th-century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the word Scot is mentioned as a reference to the "Land of the Gaels". The word Scottorum was again used by an Irish king in 1005: Imperator Scottorum was the title given to Brian Bóruma by his notary, Mael Suthain, in the Book of Armagh . This style was subsequently copied by the Scottish kings. Basileus Scottorum appears on
15246-657: The world outside of Scotland are in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada, Otago and Murihiku/Southland in New Zealand, the Falkland Islands , and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. Canada has the highest level of Scottish descendants per capita in the world and the second-largest population of Scottish descendants, after the United States. Originally the Romans used Scotia to refer to Ireland. The Venerable Bede ( c. 672 or 673 – 27 May, 735) uses
15372-535: Was born in Tong on the Isle of Lewis . As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada and amongst the first Europeans to settle in the country, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian culture since colonial times. According to the 2011 Census of Canada , the number of Canadians claiming full or partial Scottish descent is 4,714,970, or 15.10% of the nation's total population. Many respondents may have misunderstood
15498-629: Was eclipsed by railroad and highways in the 20th century. It is no longer used for log driving, however, it is still extensively used for recreational boating. Some 20,000 pleasure boaters visit the Carillon Canal annually. Today, Outaouais Herald Emeritus at the Canadian Heraldic Authority is named after the river. Hydroelectric installations on the Upper Ottawa (in downstream order): Lower Ottawa (in downstream order): * Ontario Power Generation operates generators 2, 3, 4, and 5 with
15624-404: Was eventually moved to railways and the St. Lawrence Seaway , but the canal remains in use today for pleasure boating, operated by Parks Canada from May through October. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It is named for the Rideau River, which was in turn named for Rideau Falls . The name Rideau , French for "curtain",
15750-475: Was named as a tribute to Edinburgh by the city's Scottish founders. Scottish migration to New Zealand dates back to the earliest period of European colonisation, with a large proportion of Pākehā New Zealanders being of Scottish descent. However, identification as "British" or "European" New Zealanders can sometimes obscure their origin. Many Scottish New Zealanders also have Māori or other non-European ancestry. The majority of Scottish immigrants settled on
15876-505: Was soon underway. By 1849, the rapids of the St. Lawrence were made navigable by a series of locks, and commercial shippers were quick to switch to this more direct route. But commercial use of the Rideau largely ended after the Prescott and Bytown Railway was opened in December 1854. It provided faster service than shipping by the canal. Further work improving the direct route continued along
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