Ottawa History Hub

Hamnett Pinhey, an English businessman who came to the Ottawa Valley hoping to recreate the life of a country gentleman on a large rural estate founded his settlement at Horaceville.  His political career, and his strong conservative views, give a backdrop to what life looked like for the region’s wealthy landowners. Through Pinhey’s story, the episode highlights a different vision of the Ottawa area, one rooted in rural estates rather than the growing town of Bytown. 

Hamnett Pinhey, an English businessman who came to the Ottawa Valley hoping to recreate the life of a country gentleman on a large rural estate founded his settlement at Horaceville.  His political career, and his strong conservative views, give a backdrop to what life looked like for the region’s wealthy landowners. Through Pinhey’s story, the episode highlights a different vision of the Ottawa area, one rooted in rural estates rather than the growing town of Bytown. 

This episode looks at the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 and the growing frustration with the colonial government that led to it. We meet Louis-Joseph Papineau and the Patriote movement as political disputes turned into armed resistance. Along the way, we’ll learn about the key battles of Saint-Denis, Saint-Charles, and Saint-Eustache, the roles played by both rebel and Crown forces, and the failed follow-up uprising in 1838. Although little of the action happened in Bytown itself, the rebellion had a major impact on politics in the Canadas and helped shape the region’s future. 

This episode explores the history of slavery in Upper Canada and the long, gradual process that led to its abolition across the British Empire. It introduces some of the Black individuals connected to the Ottawa Valley, examines the legal and social realities of slavery in Canada, and traces key anti-slavery reforms from the 1790s to 1834. The episode also reflects on how this history is remembered today through local place names, monuments, and public memory. 

This episode explores the history of slavery in Upper Canada and the long, gradual process that led to its abolition across the British Empire. It introduces some of the Black individuals connected to the Ottawa Valley, examines the legal and social realities of slavery in Canada, and traces key anti-slavery reforms from the 1790s to 1834. The episode also reflects on how this history is remembered today through local place names, monuments, and public memory. 

This episode explores how the global cholera pandemic of 1832-1837 spread to Bytown, exposing the town’s poor sanitation and limited medical knowledge. We look at local outbreaks, quarantine efforts, the role of Dr. A.J. Christie and the Board of Health, and the impact on Lowertown’s immigrant communities. The story highlights how contaminated water, overcrowding, and inadequate public health infrastructure fueled disease, while early sanitation measures helped reduce its spread. 

In this episode of the Ottawa History Hub Podcast we explore the life and legend of Big Joe Mufferaw, born Joseph Favre dit Montferrand in 1805. A real historical figure, Montferrand became renowned in 19th‑century Montreal and the Ottawa Valley for his immense strength, boxing prowess, and role as a defender of French Canadians during the lumber era. Over time, his exploits were heavily mythologized, blending fact with folklore. The episode distinguishes between the documented man and the exaggerated legend, tracing his cultural legacy through songs, monuments, stamps, and his lasting place in Canadian folklore. 

The episode examines the rise of the Shiners, an Irish-dominated criminal gang led by Peter Aylin Following the completion of the Rideau Canal in 1832, thousands of unemployed Irish labourers were left desperate for work. Aylin exploited this situation by hiring Irish lumbermen and forging a tight group called the Shiners.   

Aylin and his followers eventually extended their influence into civic institutions through intimidation and election rigging, culminating in attempted murder of a newspaper editor. Public outrage led to arrests and armed resistance against the Shiners, marking the collapse of their power in Bytown.  

This episode explores the life and impact of Bradish Billings, one of the most influential early settlers in the Ottawa region and namesake of Billings Bridge.  After an early failure as a lumberman, Billings married Lamira Dow and moved to what would become Junction Gore. 

Junction Gore’s economy transformed when construction began on the Rideau Canal in 1826, providing local farmers with a lucrative cash market. To better access Bytown, the community—largely thanks to Billings’ influence and funding—constructed Farmer’s Bridge in 1830, connecting to what became Bank Street. 

In early Bytown, public safety emerged long before formal civic institutions. Responsibility for order initially fell to Lt. Col. John By,  overseeing canal construction. His sappers acted as de facto police and firefighters, reflecting a time when military, police, and fire duties overlapped and professional forces were rare. Bytown had only one constable in 1827, and even major cities had yet to adopt modern policing.