Ottawa Street Name Origins
Street List
Click on a heading in the table to sort the building list.
| Street Name | Origin |
|---|---|
| Albion Road | Albion Road was named after an archaic and seldom used alternate name for Great Britain. The name may have come from the White Cliffs of Dover as the word may derive from Greek meaning "white" however this is disputed. |
| Alta Vista Drive | Named after the original Alta Vista subdivision located on the north side of Randall Avenue. The street was originally named Churchill Drive to honour Sir Winston Churchill but was changed in 1951. Alta Vista got its name from the "high view" the subdivision had of downtown Ottawa and the Parliament buildings. |
| Arco Way | A portmanteau of Armstrong Constructions, the company that built Merivale Gardens. |
| Baseline Road | Baseline Road was named due to it being the baseline road for the Ottawa Front of Nepean Township. When Upper Canada was surveyed back in the late 18th century, properties were divided into lots along concession roads in a grid plan. A baseline was chosen usually parallel to a body of water. Since Nepean Township had two major rivers, the south part (Rideau Front) of the township has concessions that are parallel with the Rideau River. The north part (Ottawa Front) has concessions parallel to the Ottawa River. Baseline Road was chosen as the baseline for the Ottawa Front. |
| Besserer Street | Besserer Street was named after Louis-Théodore Besserer (4 January 1785 - 3 February 1861), first land owner of Sandy Hill. Besserer was born at Château-Richer, Quebec. At the start of the War of 1812, Besserer was a lieutenant in the 2nd militia battalion of the Quebec City district. He was later promoted to captain after joining the 6th battalion. After the war, he returned to his previous business affairs in Quebec City. Between 7 October 1833 and 27 March 1838, he represented the county of Quebec in the House of Assembly. He was one of the Patriotes of Quebec who preferred constitutional methods as opposed to outright rebellion and as such he refused to follow Louis-Joseph Papineau. Besserer was forced to retire from politics but escaped arrest due to his business relations with the British. After these political events and the death of the his first wife, he moved to Bytown in 1845 to an immense estate he purchased from the Crown on 9 October 1828. He subdivided the estate into properties and streets which brought him a fortune. The area became known as Sandy Hill. |
| Booth Street | Booth Street was named after John Rudolphus Booth (5 April 1827 - 8 December 1925), one of the most successful lumber barons in the Ottawa area. Born in the Eastern Townships, he came to the Ottawa Valley in 1852 to help with the construction of a sawmill in Hull. He was hired as manager of the sawmill. After a year, he started his own shingle mill in Hull but it was soon destroyed by fire. Booth and his wife moved across the river and leased a large sawmill on Chaudière Island. In 1859, he won the contract to supply lumber and timber for the construction of the Parliament Buildings. He began to expand his lumber business, eventually buying 640,000 acres in the Ottawa Valley and exanding his milling into the United States. By 1896, Booth's lumber output was 115 million feet which was more than double that of other Ottawa Valley firms. He also became involved in the Canada Atlantic Railway, helping with its construction in order to complete the project. He also expanded railways to Georgian Bay. His lumber empire was often susceptible to fires. The worst fire occurred on April 26, 1900 which saw lossed for Booth between one and one and a half million dollars. |
| Bronson Avenue | Bronson Avenue was named after the businessman and politician Erskine Henry Bronson (12 September 1844 – 19 October 1920). Bronson’s first business was as a partner in the Bronsons and Weston Lumber Company in 1867. As a politician, he first served on Ottawa City Council from 1872 to 1877 and then as a provincial minister from 1886 to 1898. He later became president of the Ottawa Power Company Ltd as a way to diversify the family business. He retired in 1910 and died at Ottawa on October 19, 1920. |
| Bruyère Street | Bruyère Street was named after Mother Élisabeth Bruyère (19 March 1818 - 5 April 1876), founder of the Sisters of Charity in Bytown who opened the first hospital in the town. Born 19 March 1818 in L'Assomption, Lower Canada (now Quebec), Bruyère entered the Congregation of the Grey Nuns of the Hôpital Général of Montreal in 1839. She arrived in Bytown on 20 February 1845 to set up the community of Sisters of Charity in Bytown with three other Grey Nuns. Within three months, the sisters set up established a school, a hospital, a hospice for the edlerly and an orphanage. After only two years in Bytown, the Congregation faced a severe tyhpus epidemic. 17 of the 22 Sisters contracted the disease but none of them died. The Sisters continued to provide care to the residents of Bytown and Ottawa. By the time of Bruyère's death on 5 April 1876, she had a well-established community of 198 Sisters living in 23 different convents. |
| Carling Avenue | Carling Avenue was named after John Carling (23 January 1828 - 6 November 1911) who established the Central Experimental Farm while Minister of Agriculture. Born in London Township in Upper Canada, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1858. He served as an MP and held the position of 7th Postmaster General from 1882 to 1885 and Minister of Agriculture from 1885 to 1891 under John A. Macdonald. While as Minister of Agriculture, he established the Ontario Agricultural College and the Central Experimental Farm. After losing the 1891 election, he was appointed a Senator by John A. Macdonald. The election was disputed and declared void so Carling resigned from the Senate to resume as an MP. Before the 1896, Carling resigned and was re-appointed to the Senate. He was knighted in 1893 and remained a Senator until his death. Also, his father began Carling Brewery which Carling took over control with his brother in 1849. |
| Corkstown Road | Corkstown Road was named since many of the first permanent settlers along the road and in the area came from County Cork in Ireland. The settlers are believed to have arrived in the 1840s to Nepean Township and the area later became a significant community as the just off the road was the quarry that supplied the stones for the Parliament Buildings. As the early pioneers had many hardships, one of the first houses along Corkstown Road was turned into a tavern known as Bishop's Palace due to the owner's last name Bishop. There was a Corkstown made up of shanties along what is now Nicholas Street for civilians working on the Rideau Canal. This area was named for the same reason (many came from County Cork) but has no connection the road in Nepean Township. |
| Eagleson Road | Eagleson Road was named after William Eagleson (24 October 1826 - 26 November 1905), a local pioneer and farmer in Goulbourn Township. He came to Canada from Ballymena, Ireland in 1852 and settled the next year on the west half of Lot 32 Concession 11 in Goulbourn, today mostly occupied by the Hazeldean Mall. William's 7th son, Albert, later took over the family farm. The junction of Hazeldean and Eagleson Roads became known as Eaglesons Corners and is still shown on maps today as such. At Eaglesons Corners, William owned a hotel and general store and was postmaster. In 1998, descendents of William defended the Eagleson name when someone suggested they rename Eagleson Road after they mistook the disgraced hockey executive Alan Eagleson to be a descendent of William Eagleson. |
| Fairmont Avenue | Originally called McDonald Street, named after a park (Fairmount) and fairgrounds in Philadelphia where the grand United States Centinennial Exhibition occurred in 1876. The exhibition was held from May 10 to November 10 of that year. It coincided with the centennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. |
| Fisher Avenue | Fisher Avenue is named after Harold Fisher (1 November 1877 - 19 December 1928), Mayor of Ottawa from 1917 to 1920. Born in Peterborough, Ontario, he attended the University of Toronto and got his law degree from Osgoode Hall. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1902 and moved to Ottawa in 1903. His political career started when he was elected as an Alderman in 1913. He later became mayor of Ottawa in 1917. During the flu pandemic in 1918, Fisher realized that the city needed a new hospital. The location the Ottawa City Council chose for the hospital was outside the city in the west end surrounded by farmland. Some were concerned about the distant location of the hospital. However, in time the city expanded west to eventually surround the hospital. Fisher was elected as an MPP in the provincial legislature for the Ontario Liberal Party from 1923 to 1926. He died of pneumonia in 1928. |
| Flewellyn Road | Named after the Flewellyn family who settled in Goulbourn Township in the 1860s. Richard (1835 - 1918) and Margaret (Boyle) (1839 - 1887) Flewellyn arrived in Canada from Ireland with their son between 1860 and 1863. They bought Lot 26 Concession 10 in Goulbourn Township in December 1869. The next year, 4 acres of their property were purchased by the Canada Central Railway Company and in August came the Great Fire of 1870. In 1886, they built a stone house on their property which still stands today (actually on Fernbank Road and the corner of Shea Road). Margaret died the year after completion of the house while Richard lived until 1918. |
| Friel Street | Friel Street was named after Henry James Friel (15 April 1823 - 16 May 1869), the Mayor of Bytown in 1854 and the Mayor of Ottawa in 1863 and from 1868-1869. Friel was born in Montreal and came with his family to Bytown in 1827. He apprenticed with Alexander James Christie at the Bytown Gazette. He then purchased the Bytown Packet along with John George Bell in 1846. He was elected to Bytown's first town council in 1847 but lost the election in 1848. In 1849, he was arrested along with other rioters before the visit of Governor General Elgin which became known as the Stony Monday Riots. He returned to town council as an alderman in 1850, 1853 and 1854 and was chosen as mayor in the latter year. He attempted to enter provincial politics in 1854 but lost. He continued as an alderman from 1855-1858 and in 1864, 1865 and 1867. He was chosen as mayor in 1863, 1868 and 1869. He died while in office as mayor. |
| Gilmour Street | Gilmour Street was named after Allan Gilmour (23 August 1816 - 25 February 1895), one of Ottawa's pioneer lumbermen. Born in Shotts, Scotland, he began in the timber trade working for his uncle who shared his named. He came to Montreal in 1832 with his cousin James and worked for William Ritchie & Company until 1840. The cousins took over management of the branch after Ritchie retired and opened an agency in Bytown. Gilmour permanently moved the business headquarters to Bytown in 1853 after his cousin retired. During the Fenian Raids between 1866-1867, Gilmour was appointed to the rank of major and later colonel in the local militia. Gilmour also enjoyed some recreational activities such as curling, serving as president of the Ottawa Curling Club. He was also a collector of art and at the time of his death, he had a 146-piece art collection value at $11,163, along with an estate worth $1,452,825. |
| Haanel Drive | Haanel Drive was named after Dr. Eugene Haanel (24 May 1841 - 26 June 1927), 1st Head of the Mines Branch (later renamed CANMET in 1975) for the Canadian Government. Haanel was born in Breslau, Prussia. In his teens, he moved to the United States and in 1961 while in Baltimore Maryland, he joined the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. He spent 3 years as a hospital steward and one year as a First Lieutenant until the war ended in 1865. After the war, he attended the Michigan State University in Ann Arbor and became Assistant Professor of Natural Science at Adrian College. He continued his job as a professor at Hillsdale College and Albion College (all within Michigan). After becoming a US citizen, Haanel travelled back to Prussia and got his Doctor of Philosophy at the Royal University in Breslau. He then moved directly to Cobourg, Ontario to take up a position as Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Victoria College. There he found the Faraday Hall, the first science hall in Canada. In 1901, while residing in Vancouver, he took the job of Superintendent of Mines for the Canadian Government. He remained in this job until 1920 when he retired. |
| Haig Drive | Named for the Honourable John Thomas Haig (15 December 1877 - 23 October 1962) who was appointed to the Senate in 1935 and served until 1962. Born in Colborne, Ontario, Haig grew up on a farm near Brandon, Manitoba. Initially working for a legal firm, he was made a King's Counsel in 1927 and Vice-President of the Equitable Trust Company. His political career began as the Returning Officer of Winnipeg West in the 1907 election and he was elected to the legislature in 1914 as a member of the Conservative Party of Manitoba. Although defeated in 1915, he was re-elected in 1920, 1922, 1927 and 1932. He left the legislature when he was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1935. He served as Senate Opposition leader from 1945 to 1957 and Senate government leader and member of Diefenbaker's cabinet from September 1957 to May 1958. He retired from the Senate in February 1962. Haig was also active in the sport of curling. He co-founded and served as President of the Strathcona Curling Club (1910-1912). He also served as President of the Manitoba Curling Association (1912-1913) and the first President of the Dominion Curling Association (1935-1938), forerunner of the Canadian Curling Association. After his death, he was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1973, the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. |
| Harmer Avenue | Named after Frederick William Harmer (16 March 1823 - 12 August 1906), clerk of Nepean Township for nearly 40 years. He saved municipal documents duing the fire of 1870. Harmer was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. He came to Canada in 1858 around the age of 35. He became clerk of Nepean Township in 1866. He was so well versed with municipal law that he often offered advice to clerks from other townships. During the devastating fire of 1870 which decimated much of Nepean Township, Harmer rescued a box containing the most important records of the township. In 1905, he stepped down as clerk due to failing health and died on August 12, 1906. He had "won a wide reputation for honesty, integrity and fair dealing" according to his obituary in the Ottawa Journal. |
| Hazeldean Road | Hazeldean Road was named after the small community of Hazeldean at the corners of Hazeldean and Young Roads. The community got its name after the Ontario registry office rejected the community's wish to be called Orange Hill, as there was an Orangeville in Ontario. As a new name was needed when John Young became the first postmaster in 1859, the community chose Hazeldean after a place in Scotland (it's also been suggested that the name was chosen after a place in Ireland). The road was named Hazeldean Road in 1983. |
| Heron Road | Heron Road was named after Gilbert Heron (30 December 1786 - 19 December 1850) and his family who were early settlers in Gloucester Township. Born in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, Scotland, came to Gloucester Township with his wife, 6 sons and 2 daughters in 1834. Already a farmer in Scotland, Heron was at a better advantage than other settlers in the area. He bought 100 acres from Braddish Billings in what was then known as Junction Gore. He continued to purchase property along what is now Heron Road. His descendents built a stone house on Lot 19 in 1868 called "Logie" after their home village in Scotland. |
| Holland Avenue | Holland Avenue was named after the Holland Brothers, Andrew Holland (11 August 1844 - 29 March 1923) and George Holland (5 March 1846 - 26 February 1923), journalists and entrepeneurs from Ottawa. Born in Bytown, both brothers entered the world of journalism in the start of their careers. Andrew wrote for newspapers in Ottawa while George contributed articles for the Toronto Telegraph, Chicago Times, Washington Post and New York Herald. In January 1873, the brothers became owners and editors of the Ottawa Citizen and later joined the reporting staff for the House of Commons. In 1877, they became the official reporters for the Senate of Canada. In 1892, Andrew travelled to Australia and established the Canadian Australian Royal Mail steamship line. However, both brothers made their permanent home in the Kitchissippi community in 1877. The properties they chose would later prove lucrative as the city developed west with the streetcar lines. They started the Ottawa Land Association and bought up more property in the area. The brothers were also involved in the promotion and distribution of early moving picture technology. Andrew opened the world's first kinetoscope parlour for the Edison Company in New York City in April 1894. The brothers later brought the vitascope to Ottawa's West End Park in July 1896 for the first moving picture show in Canada on the big screen. The brothers both died in 1923 just a little over a month apart. |
| Innes Road | Innes Road was named after John Innes (30 January 1877 - 24 August 1939), Reeve of Gloucester from 1931 to 1939. Innes was born in Gloucester, Ontario to Scottish parents. He had a successful 65 acre dairy and mixed farm near Cyrville along what is now Innes Road. He became Deputy Reeve in 1927 and was elected as Reeve in 1931. He died in office following a stroke on 27 July 1939. The road was built in 1878 as a connection between Blackburn and Cyrville. In 1960, the road was named in memory of Innes. |
| Kilborn Avenue | Named for Braddish Kilborn (6 February 1810 - 1 August 1858), husband of Lamira Billings who was the daughter of Braddish Billings and Lamira Dow. Kilborn married Lamira Billings, his first cousin, on 30 August 1839, moved to Brockville and had 4 children. The street was previously known as Buchan Farm Road. |
| Lebreton Street | Lebreton Street was named after John Le Breton (c1779 - 24 February 1848), an army officer, farmer and mill-owner. Born in Jersey, he joined the Royal Newfoundland Fencible Regiment as an ensign in 1795, becoming a lieutenant in 1798. Between 1809 and 1812, he held the position of deputy assistant quartermaster general at Quebec. During the War of 1812, he was involved in nine actions. In October 1813, he was sent to Detroit under truce to discuss the treatment of prisoners and secrectly to assess the strength of the Americans. Le Breton unsuccessfully pressed for the establishment of an Upper Canadian "Corps of Rangers". In July 1814, he was severely wounded at Lundy's Lane. He was promoted to Captain of the 60th Foot in March 1816 but went on half pay later that month. In 1819, 4 years after he petitioned for land in Upper Canada, Le Breton was granted land in Nepean Township where he settled and later erected mills. Near this land was the Chaudière Falls which was owned by Robert Randal. The property also contained Richmond Landing, the main transit depot for military settlements Richmond and Perth. In December 1820, Le Breton bought the property from Randall for £449 at a sheriff's sale in Brockville. The Governor General at the time, Lord Dalhousie, accused Le Breton of acting on privileged information claiming Le Breton had heard about the government's intention to develop a new depot at Richmond Landing from a dinner in August of that year. Although, some officers said no such news was discussed at the dinner. Le Breton refused to sell to the government for anything less than £3,000. Le Breton's title to the property survived a court battle from the crown in 1828. Between 1827 and 1839, he continued to seek compensation from Colonel John By and other military authorities and provincial law officers for losses he claimed were from the construction of the Rideau Canal. He claimed that timber was taken from his property and that the construction of a dam and the deepening of a channel for floating timer past the Chaudière Falls prevented Le Breton from building his own dam and mills. Both sides could not agree on an arrangement for arbitration. Le Breton took no legal action and the dispute was eventually dropped. Le Breton continued to divide up his property for development and he continued to farm on his original grant of land. His last sale of the Falls took place in 1837. Le Breton moved to Toronto after his wife died in July 1847 and he died the following winter. |
| Lees Avenue | Lees Avenue was named after Robert E. Lees (11 May 1814 - 10 October 1893), a prominent lawyer in the early days of Bytown. Born in Scotland, he came to Canada with his family when he was a child and his family settled near Perth, Ontario (or Pakenham). He first became a schoolteacher and then a lawyer. He was living in Bytown around the time of the Stony Monday riots in 1849. He defended some the rioters against what he saw as persecution by the authorities. Due to the crowdedness, disease and bad drains in Bytown at the time, he moved with his wife and children to an estate in Nepean Township which at the time was wild country but would later become Ottawa East. A friend of Lees questioned why he would want to live "in the wild woods" and so he named his estate "Wildwood". The house was built in 1863 and the estate stretched from Main Street to the Rideau River and included orchards and gardens. In 1883, some of the estate was taken up by the Canada Atlantic Railway. In 1962, the estate was bought and the house demolished to build the Queensway (Highway 417). |
| Lewis Street | Lewis Street was named after John Bower Lewis (18 March 1817 - 24 January 1874), the 2nd mayor of Bytown in 1848. Born in France, he came to Canada with his parents in 1820 and settled near Bytown. In Bytown, he practised law and sold land in the area. He was elected to the council of the District of Dalhousie in 1847 and to the first municiapl council of the town. He was chosen as the 2nd mayor of Bytown between 1848-1849. When Ottawa became a city in 1854, Lewis was chosen as the first mayor of the city in 1855. He also filled other civic positions such as police magistrate in 1855, city recorder between 1855-1869, police commissioner in 1863 and city solicitor until his death. |
| Lisgar Street | Lisgar Street (as well as Lisgar Collegiate) was named after Sir John Young (31 August 1807 - 6 October 1876), 1st Baron Lisgar and Governor-General of Canada from 1869 to 1872. Born in Bombay, India, he served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (British) from 1831 to 1855. In 1855, he became lord high commissioner of the Ionian Islands and later governor general of New South Wales. On 2 February 1869, he became the governor general of Canada. During his time as governor general, he saw the disturbance led by Louis Riel break out, the transfer of Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company to Canada and Manitoba joining the confederation. Due to poor health, Lisgar resigned prematurely in June 1872 and later died at his family home in Ireland. |
| Lyon Street | Lyon Street was named after Robert Lyon (6 July 1829 - 25 March 1888) and his family. Lyon was mayor of Ottawa in 1867 and served as a Liberal member of the Ontario Legislature from 1867 to 1871. He was a practicing barrister prior to being mayor and was named a judge for Carleton County in 1873. |
| MacLaren Street | MacLaren Street was named after lumber merchant James MacLaren (19 March 1818 - 10 February 1892). MacLaren came to Upper Canada from Scotland in 1822 with his family. After the family moved to Wakefield, Lower Canada in th 1840s, he formed James MacLaren and Company with his brother. He established a general store, gristmill, woollen mill and brick-making plant. He also was involved with the timber trade along the Gatineau River. All his ventures proved successful and in 1866, MacLaren purchased the New Edinburgh Mills from Thomas McKay's estate for $82,000. By 1871, the sawmill was producing lumber valued at $150,000 a year. He expanded further in Buckingham where he eventually centred his operations. He co-founded and was president of the Bank of Ottawa, he was the founding directory of Hull Iron Company Limited, he was directory of the Ontario Central Railway and continued to expand his lumber investments in other parts of Ontario and the United States. At the time of his death, his obituary reported his estimated wealth at 5 million dollars. |
| Main Street | Main Street was named since it was the main street of the village of Ottawa East. |
| McLeod Street | McLeod Street was named after McLeod Stewart (1847 - 1926), mayor of Ottawa in 1887 to 1888. Born in Ottawa in 1847, he went to Toronto to study at the University of Toronto. He served as a lieutenant in the Governor General's Foot Guards. In 1881, he built the Molson's Bank building on Sparks Street with William Hodgson. He served as president of the Canada Atlantic Railway. He was mayor of Ottawa between 1887-1888 and saw the opening of the first Central Canada Exhibition on 25 September 1888. In 1910, he authored The first half century of Ottawa. |
| Merivale Road | The word "merivale" comes from Cornwall, England. It means "pleasant valley". |
| Montreal Road | Montreal Road was named due to it being the original road from Ottawa to Montreal. Previously known as the King’s Road. |
| Moodie Drive | Named after Douglas Aubrey Moodie (22 July 1908 - 17 May 2008), reeve of Nepean Township from 1954 to 1969. Known as the "Father of Nepean", Moodie was born in Bells Corners to a family who had early roots in the township. His grandfather, Robert Moodie, settled in Bells Corners during the 1850s. The Moodies were successful farmers and Aubrey owned his own dairy farm in Twin Elm when he went into local politics. He became deputy reeve in 1950 and remained in that role until becoming reeve in 1954. In 1950, amalgamation saw almost all of Nepean's population annexed to Ottawa. This left the township of about 2500 people with no fire hall, no road equipment and no police. When Moodie lost the election for reeve in 1969 to Andrew Haydon, he had taken the township from rural country to one of the fastest growing municipalities in Ontario with a population over 60,000. Moodie also served as warden for Carleton County in 1955, 1962 and 1966. He lobbied for the creation of the Queensway Carleton Hosptial and sat on its first board of directors from 1976 to 1982. Moodie died at the age of 99, just 2 months shy of his 100th birthday. |
| O'Connor Street | O'Connor Street was named after Daniel O'Connor (1796 - 1858), a significant early citizen of Bytown. Born in 1796 in Ireland, he travelled to the United States and attempted to establish a business. However, after failing to do so, he returned to Ireland in 1824. He left Ireland again in 1826 to the US to try again, settling in upper New York State. Finding little opportunity, he found out about the construction of the Rideau Canal and travelled to Bytown in 1827. He established a business and later became the first justice of the peace as well as treasurer of Carleton County. |
| Old Richmond Road | Old Richmond Road was named when the original Richmond Road was split into 2 separate sections in 2011. That year, there was great controversy when the city wished to change the name of Robertson Road to Lloyd Francis Boulevard, a developer, Liberal MP and Speaker of the House of Commons. The main idea was to have a consistently named street through Bells Corners. However, both the descendents of John Robertson (the namesake of Robertson Road) and several businesses in community were against the name change. Eventually, the name Robertson Road was retained and Richmond Road was split into 2 separate roads, one from Island Park Drive to Baseline Road called Richmond Road and one south and through Bells Corners to Richmond which was renamed Old Richmond Road. The name Richmond Road itself dates back to 1818 when a trail was made connecting Richmond Landing on the Ottawa River to the military settlement of Richmond in Goulbourn Township (see Richmond Road on the map for more details). |
| Preston Street | Preston Street has been said to be named after John Honey Preston, a city treasurer (most likely starting from the book Ottawa Past & Present). However, the only city treasurer to have a last name Preston was George H. Preston, an Alderman on City Council in 1858 and 1860. It is likely that the street was named after this Preston. Preston also owned a successful boots, shoes and leather store at 12 Rideau Street. |
| Richmond Road | Richmond Road, one of the earliest roads built by Europeans in Ottawa, was named since it was the road connecting Richmond Landing on the Ottawa River to the village of Richmond. In 1818, the village was laid out as a military settlement for veterans of the War of 1812. The 99th Regiment was chosen to settle Goulbourn Township and Richmond. The village itself was named after the Governor General at the time, Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond. In 1819, Richmond went on an extensive tour of Upper and Lower Canada. On this tour, he was bitten by a fox on the hand. His wound healed and he continued his tour. However, while touring the settlements along the Rideau River, the first symptoms of hydrophobia appeared, one of the symptoms of rabies. He died on 28 August 1819 not far from the village which bore his name. In 2011, there was great controversy when the city wished to change the name of Robertson Road to Lloyd Francis Boulevard, a developer, Liberal MP and Speaker of the House of Commons. The main idea was to have a consistently named street through Bells Corners. However, both the descendents of John Robertson (the namesake of Robertson Road) and several businesses in community were against the name change. Eventually, the name Robertson Road was retained and Richmond Road was split into 2 separate roads, one from Island Park Drive to Baseline Road called Richmond Road and one south and through Bells Corners to Richmond which was renamed Old Richmond Road. |
| Robertson Road | Robertson Road was named after John Robertson (1795 - 1884), a settler and farmer in Nepean Township. Robertson helped build the first eight locks of the Rideau Canal and established a farm, general story and schoolhouse in Bells Corners. In 2011, there was great controversy when the city considered changing the name of the road to Lloyd Francis Boulevard, a developer, Liberal MP and Speaker of the House of Commons. The main idea was to have a consistently named street through Bells Corerners. However, both the descendents of John and several businesses in community were against the name change. Eventually, the name Robertson Road was retained and extended to Baseline Road while Richmond Road south and through Bells Corners was renamed Old Richmond Road. There was even controversy when the road first got its name. In 1982, When the regional council wanted to rename the former stretch of Highway 7 & 15, residents in Nepean wanted to name the Robertson Road after John who lived on the road while residents in Kanata and Goulbourn Township wanted to name it Hazeldean Road. A diplomatic solution was chosen and in 1983, the stretch between Richmond Road and Eagleson Road (within the City of Nepean) was named Robertson Road while the stretch between Eagleson and Highway 417 was named Hazeldean Road. |
| Rochester Street | Rochester Street was named after the John Rochester family. John Rochester Sr. came to Bytown from Rouse's Point, New York in 1827 as part of the 27 American founders. During the construction of the Rideau Canal, he provided provisions to the military. The community of Rochesterville got its name from him. John Rochester Jr. (22 May 1822 - 19 September 1894) was a lumberman, brewer, Mayor of Ottawa from 1870-1871, and a member of parliament from 1872-1882. |
| Rongail Street | The combination of Ron and Gail, nephew and niece of Larry Armstrong who built Merivale Gardens. |
| Russell Road | Russell Road was the main road from Ottawa to Russell, Ontario. The community got its name from Peter Russell (11 June 1733 - 30 September 1808). Born in Cork, Ireland, Russell studied at St. John's College of the University of Cambridge. However, he was forced to drop out due to serious gambling debt. During the Seven Years' War, he joined the British Army as a member of the 14th Foot infantry regiment. In 1760, he became a lieutenant in the 94th Foot infantry regiment and went to North America until the regiment folded. He later fought for the British during the Revolutionary War where he was commissioned as a Captain. Gambling was a problem for Russell throughout his life. He sold his captaincy commission to get a large sum of money but eventually lost it all. Later, he held several positions within the Government of Upper Canada such as a judge, Speaker of the Legislative Council and Administrator of Upper Canada. He used the latter position to grant land in York to himself. Russell was also a supporter of the slave trade. When Governor Simcoe tried to introduce legislation to abolish slavery in Upper Canada, Russell fought against it. Russell, along with his half-sister Elizabeth, enslaved a family called the Pompadours. Although they employed the husband who was a free man, the wife Peggy and their three children were all enslaved. After Peggy attempted to escape, Russell had her imprisoned. They tried to sell Peggy and her children but never found a buyer. When Simcoe resigned, Russell had hoped to become Lieutenant Governor but always lost out. Feeling slighted, he wanted to return to England but could never find someone to purchase his property and died in York, Upper Canada. |
| Saunderson Drive | Named for the Saunderson family who owned a farm on the south side of Smyth Road. Thomas and Ira Saunderson bought and started a dairy farm on Smyth Road, with their 13 children, after selling their ice harvesting business in 1938. Farm life was busy and John Saunderson, their youngest child, had to milk 25 head of cattle each day before school. In 1954, the Saundersons took the opportunity to sell their property to a local developer, Robert Campeau. When Gloucester Township was annexed by Ottawa in 1950, the family feared they could not afford the property taxes per acre. Once sold, the family moved their operation to Edwards, Ontario but were promised by the mayor at the time, Charlotte Whitton, they would get a street named after them. |
| Slater Street | Slater Street was named after James Dyson Slater (10 September 1813 - 24 October 1876), Superintendent of the Rideau Canal. Born in Manchester, England, he came to Canada with his parents in 1830 or 1831 and settled a few miles from Niagara Falls. He became the assistant engineer in charge of the location and construction of the Welland Canal from Port Dalhousie to Thorold and remained in this position from 1841 to 1845. He moved to Bytown in 1845 to become assistant engineer on the improvement works of the Ottawa River. In 1847, he married Esther Sparks, the youngest daughter of Nicholas and Sarah Sparks. For his son-in-law, Nicholas renamed Waugh Street to Slater Street. In 1849, he was appointed a provincial land surveyor and later became the superintendent of the Rideau Canal from 1858 to 1872. While in Ottawa, he served as chairman of the public school board from 1863 to 1870. |
| Smyth Road | Smyth Road was named after John Smyth and his father Lieutenant Colonel William Smyth (19 April 1794 - 24 April 1877), early settlers in Gloucester Township. William was born in New Haven, Connecticut but his father smuggled the family to Canada after the Revolutionary War. He went back to the United States to fight for the British in the War of 1812. He settled in Gloucester, along with his wife Sarah Wood, in 1822 as one of the first settlers in the township. However, he had not given up his military career entirely as a assembled a militia during the 1837 rebellion. He also later served as a District Councillor, Reeve and Treasurer for Gloucester and a Justice of the Peace for Carleton County. The family property was at Lot 15 of Junction Gore which is now occupied by CHEO and Ottawa General Hospital. Before the road was annexed to Ottawa in 1950, it was known as John Smith Road. It turns out the proper pronounciation of the family name was "Sm-i-th" and not "Sm-eye-th" as is the pronounciation of the road name today. |
| Sparks Street | The street was named after Nicolas Sparks (1794 - 27 February 1862), one of the first settlers in the area that is now downtown Ottawa. He came to Lower Canada in 1816 and joined the services of Philemon Wright, the founder of Hull. When he earned enough capital, he went out on his own and purchased a 200 acre lot on the south side of the Ottawa River (lot C, concession C in Nepean Township) for £95 in 1821. However, due to legal technicalities, the property was not fully his until 1830. Although successful in the timber trade, Sparks true success was in land purchases. With the building of the Rideau Canal in 1826, Sparks sold the west part of his property for £200 per acre. He also divided up his property over time for the new community of Bytown. Today, Sparks Street sits on the lot that Nicholas Sparks once owned. |
| Stewart Street | Stewart Street was named after Dr. James Stewart (c1788 - 16 September 1848), a doctor in the early days of Bytown who opened an office in the town in 1827. Born in the parish of Ardshan in County Tyrone, Ireland, he graduated from Trinity college in Dublin. He entered the army as a surgeon, retiring in 1825. In 1845, he was appointed the town coroner. |
| Terry Fox Drive | Named after Terry Fox (28 July 1958 - 28 June 1981), a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist. Born in Winnipeg, Fox spent many hours as a child playing table-hockey games. In Grade 8, he trained to run although his initial ambition was basketball. He eventually made the basketball team and by Grade 12, he was awarded the Athlete of the Year Award at his high school in Port Coquitlam, BC, sharing his accomplishment with a friend. Fox attended Simon Fraser University where he continued to play basketball. At the end of his first year, he noticed a pain in his right knee. After discovering a tumour, his leg had to be amputated above the knee. With the help of an artificial leg, Fox was walking three weeks later. However, while going for chemotherapy, he found it difficult to watch other fellow cancer patients suffer and die due to the disease. He decided he was going to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Fox began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980 after dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean. Running the equivalent of a marathon a day (26 miles/42 kilometres), he faced all types of weather, including a snowstorm on the first day of his run. However, word soon spread about his trek across Canada and people came out to cheer him on and donations soared. When he reached Ottawa on Canada Day, he was met by Governor General Ed Schreyer and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. On September 1, he was forced to stop for a short time outside of Thunder Bay due to shortness of breath and chest pains. After continuing on, the symptoms did not improve and he asked his friend Doug, who was following along in a van, to drive him to a hospital. It was discovered that the cancer had returned and was now in Fox's lungs. Although he was forced to end his run, he had raised $1.7 million (equivalent to $6 in 2023) since it started. Support and donations continued to pour in from around the world. Fox was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the youngest person still to this day to receive that honour. He was named Canada's 1980 Newsmaker of the Year. By April 1981, a year after he began his marathon, $23 million had been raised (equivalent to $73 million in 2023). Despite multiple chemotherapy treatments, the cancer continued to spread. Fox fell into a coma and died on 28 June 1981. Memorials were held across Canada and the Federal Government ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast. The first annual Terry Fox Run was organized by the Fox family and the Four Seasons Hotels owner Isadore Sharp and was held on 13 September 1981. Continuing to this and in many countries, the Terry Fox Run has raised over $900 million for cancer research. |
| Timm Drive | Named after William Timm (15 July 1884 - 8 January 1961), the 3rd Head of the Mines Branch. Born in Westmeath, Renfrew, Ontario, Timm attended Queen's University with the ambition of becoming a mining engineer and football player. In 1920, he was appointed chief of the ore-dressing and metallurgical division of the Canadian Department of Mines in Ottawa. He was director of the Mines and Geology Branch from 1941-1950. |
| Vaan Drive | A portmanteau of Victoria Ann, daughter of Larry Armstrong who built Merivale Gardens. |
| Walkley Road | Walkley Road was named for Enoch Walkley (14 March 1798 - 4 July 1877), an early settler in Gloucester Township. Born in Kings Stanley, Gloucestershire, England, he's believed to have built the first brick house in Bytown in 1833. He bought the property for the house from Nicholas Sparks. At the time, there was a forced road through the Sparks property and the house was built to the road's alignment. However, Bank Street was added perpendicular to Sparks Street and the house was out of alignment. He later bought property at Lot A on Concession 3 of Gloucester Township on 1844 and a part of Lot 1 in 1860. Walkley rented his house in Bytown from 1865 to 1867 by the Protestant Orphans' Home. (Note: In my research of Enoch Walkley, I could not find a specific connection between the Enoch in Bytown and the Enoch in Gloucester. I've written under the assumption they are the same person.) |
| Waverley Street | Waverley Street was named after a novel called Waverley by Sir Walter Scott. The book was published in 1814 and is a fictional account of a soldier, Edward Waverley, during the Jacobite Rebellion. The book is considered to be the first example of the historical fiction genre. |
| Wellington Street | Wellington Street was named after Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852). He was a politician and soldier who rose to field marshal during the Napoleonic Wars and defeated Napolean at Waterloo in 1815. During his military career, he participated in around 60 battles. After his military career, he became prime minister of Britain from 1828 to 1830 and for a short time in 1834. While as Master-General of Ordnance (the part of the government in charge of fortifications and canals), he was a great advocate for the construction of the Rideau Canal. |
| Woodroffe Avenue | Captain G. W. Baker (1790 - 22 July 1862), an early settler in Nepean Township, named his house "Woodroffe" after a country estate in Tipperary, Ireland. His house was located on Lot 25, Concession 1, Ottawa Front in the township. Baker was a captain in the British army and came to Upper Canada in 1832 after retiring from the military. He was the Bytown postmaster from 1834 to 1857. He was also reeve of Nepean Township from 1842 to 1844. When the British colonial governor refused armed soldiers to help during the Shiners' Wars, Baker spearheaded the formation of the Association for the Preservation of the Public Peace. The association consisted of 200 men, mostly from the local militia, who patrolled the streets. |
