Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It was founded as a town in 1826 by and it prospered on the lumber trade. The town was renamed Ottawa in 1855, and incorporated as a city. The city name Ottawa was chosen in reference to the Ottawa River.
The city grew and developed rapidly; the construction of the parliament buildings on Parliament Hill began in 1860. The Ottawa Academy and Young Ladies’ Seminary was established on Sparks Street in 1861. Ottawa became part of the transcontinental rail network in 1886. The construction of a vast public transportation network began in the late-19th century when Thomas Ahearn founded the Ottawa Electric Railway Company in 1893.
Here below are some stunning historical photos that will take you back to the old Ottawa in the late 19th century soon after it was incorporated as a city. Vote your favorites and don’t forget to share.
Back then, Sparks Street looked much livelier than it does now.
Back then, the streets were flooded with elephants. With the emergence of the automobile, they decided something had to be done.
A side-by-side comparison with current pictures would be awesome
Some of these photos have barely changed – you could have told me they were taken this year and a filter applied.
In some photos, cars from the ’20s are labelled or dated incorrectly as being from 1899
Photographs of old buildings fascinate me. Ottawa would be pretty stunning if more of them were preserved. I am disappointed we did not recognize their value and keep more of them.