The Ottawa River. It's why most of us live here. We enjoy the boating, the fishing and and for some of us - it's the peace and tranquility that the view out our windows provides. But it hasn't always been so.

     From the earliest times the river has been a life line to the inhabitants who lived along it's shore. To our predecessors, the view was a secondary benefit. The river provided much more important benefits.

     In the early years the area was covered by giant pines and, while this might not have been the case in the Sandhills, the surrounding area provided enough timber that a new industry was born.

     In 1800, Philemon Wright and a group of colonists from Massachusetts settled on the north side of the river below the Chaudiere Falls. They built houses, a mill and called their settlement, "Wright's Town" (Eventually became Hull).

     The settlement was surrounded by huge stands of white pine. The problem was how to get them to market. In 1806, Wright built a raft out of squared timber and floated it down the river. Soon the river was covered with rafts.

     Philemon Wright's 1806 experiment to exploit the timber of the Ottawa Valley was very well timed. Supplies of timber to Great Britain had been cut off by a blockage of all European ports. The timber trade boomed.

     Men wintered in the woods, cutting and preparing the trees and hauling them to the rivers edge. When the ice melted they built rafts complete with living quarters that they floated down river.

     At first, they had to take their rafts apart when they encountered rapids or a falls but eventually they built timber slides that allowed them to circumvent these obstacles.

     These two photos demonstrate the huge log booms and river rafts that moved up and down the Ottawa River. The loggers often were away from home for many months at a time while the woman kept the farms running. These river rafts were the temporary homes for these men where they ate and slept when the booms were moored overnight.

     The photo above left shows lumbermen collecting stray logs off the beach at Constance Bay. Remnents of these logging days are still very much evident today as any boater can tell you. Dead heads frequently rise to the surface and local divers report huge numbers of logs sitting on the bottom of both Constance and Buckham's Bay.

      The photo at right is a picture of the SS Pembroke that was used to help move the log booms. It was the beginning of yet another industry that came to our area as the age of the riverboats was upon us.

     It wasn't long before another industry came into being as settlers looked for a way of commuting up and down the river.

     Between 1832 and 1914, steamers plied on Lac Deschênes between Aylmer and Chats Falls. It was a popular means of transportation and it provided the local farmers with an opportunity to earn extra cash by supplying wood to the steam boat companies.

      From Ottawa one could take a first class omnibus' to catch the 8:30 am sailing of the Ann Sisson at Aylmer. "Breakfast was enjoyed during the leisurely sail on Lac Deschênes with several stops at small settlements on the way. The ride around Chats Falls on the horse-railroad took about twenty minutes, at the end of which one would board the Alliance, due to sail at 11:00 am. Midday dinner was taken in the palatial dining saloon of this Chats Lake vessel. If it was possible to get up as far as Gould's Wharf (Portage du Fort), one then took the waiting stage-coach for the twelve mile ride through the forests to Cobden, there to board the Muskrat for the final sail to near Pembroke.

     The G.B. Greene, often described as the Queen of the River, was built for the Upper Ottawa Improvement Company in 1896. She was used primarily for hauling logs on Lac Deschênes, but provided occasional passenger trips out of Aylmer, notably evening excursion trips which became very popular in the years just before the First World War. She frequently stopped at Baskin's Beach to load up on firewood. She was eventually retired after a fire onboard.

     Like the GB Green, the Weldon ran up and down the river for many years stopping at the wharfs at Baskin's Beach and MacLaren's Landing dropping off passengers and loading up with firewood.

     The photo of the Weldon was taken around 1920. The Wharf above was at MacLaren's Landing. You can see a small shack where the passengers waited for the boat.

     The Prince Arthur was the most beautiful passenger steamer that ever ran on the river.

     Built in 1871, this proud vessel was tied up at the dock in Portage du Fort when, on the evening of june 17, 1877 she caught fire. She was untied and drifted to the opposite shore where she burned to the waterline and sank.

     Today, the remains are almost completely covered in mud with only her ribs showing.

Recreation on the River
     Even as early as the 20's and 30's the river was a very popular and busy spot as is witnessed in these two photos.

     The one at left was a postcard that could be purchased at that time and mailed home to your envious neighbours. The picture at right demonstrates a fashion statement that was very popular during this time - ear puffs.


     1920's Post Card                                                                                                                                     Ear Puffs

     Some Folks Couldn't Stay Out!
     It's true! Some folks were just plain crazy about the river. They'd stay in it day and night if you let them - and this photo proves it.

     What, would you ask, are these gals up to? Playing cards of course! These ladies just couldn't tear themselves away from the water, so one of their husbands built a floating card table. Add a couple inflated tire tubes and they were set for the whole day.

     This photo shows (from left) Vera Barnes, Loraine Christy and Ethal Malone. Joker's wild!

     The river hasn't always been good to us here in Constance Bay. It wasn't uncommon for severe flooding to actually close the road.

     This 1991 photo shows one of the worst years in recent memory. Bayview was impassible from around the 700's all the way up to the 900's. Police were eventually brought in to prevent people from trying to drive through. The wave action created by the vehicles was causing extensive damage to ajoining properties.

     In 1992 the process of rebuilding Bayview Drive began. The affected areas were elevated and all of Bayview was eventually repaved.

     A section of Bayview Drive around the 900 area was affectionately known as "Thrill Hill" because it included several roller coaster like hills that were quite thrilling if taken at high speed. Thrill Hill was leveled when Bayview was rebuilt.

     The bluff at Big Sand Point may not be as big as it was when the explorers stood on it but the river and the Point are still the most beautiful thing that you'll ever see.

     The view of the Gatineau Hills, as seen from the Point on a clear day can take your breath away!