Bytown

Bytown is the historical name of Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. It began as a lumber town on the Ottawa River, founded around 1826 by British engineer Colonel John By to supervise the construction of the Rideau Canal. The canal, completed in 1832, linked the Ottawa River with Lake Ontario and was intended to provide a secure supply route for British forces during a period of tension with the United States. The settlement grew rapidly through the timber trade and related industries, and it was renamed Ottawa in 1855.

Ottawa was chosen as the capital of the Province of Canada in 1857 by Queen Victoria, and it became the capital of Canada at Confederation in 1867. The city developed as a political and administrative center, with government institutions established along the river valley and the canal at its doorstep. The Rideau Canal, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains a prominent historic waterway, while Parliament Hill and related buildings form a major element of the city’s government complex.

Today, Bytown is primarily remembered as the early community that evolved into Ottawa. The Bytown Museum preserves the town’s early history and provides context for the city’s transformation from a riverfront lumber town into a national capital.