Building a new Canada - Construire un nouveau Canada - Ottawa, Ontario
Posted by: 
Weathervane
N 45° 25.742 W 075° 42.118
18T E 445088 N 5030851
This panel describes how Ottawa came to be chosen as Canada's national capital. Ce panneau nous informe du cheminement qui a abouti à faire d"Ottawa, la capitale du Canada.
Waymark Code: WMX36W
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/20/2017
Views: 9
Building for a New Canada
Standing here in 1860, you would have heard the sound of hammers and the creak of winches from across the river as construction began on Canada's Parliament buildings. As recently as 1857, Canadians embroiled in a raging debate over the choice of a permanent capital. when Queen Victoria finally chose Ottawa - a ramshackle lumber town in the middle of nowhere - politicians howled for reversal of the decision. The Governor General wrote glumly of exile to the wilderness. An American journalist joked that invaders would get lost in the forest trying to find Canada's capital. In fact, Ottawa was a brilliant choice, standing at the confluence of English and French cultures.
Construire un Nouveau Canada
En ce lieu même, en 1860, le bruit des marteaux et le grincement des treuils résonnaient de l’autre côté de la rivière : l’on commençait à construire les édifices du Parlement du Canada. Peu de temps auparavant, soit en 1857, un vif débat faisait rage au pays à propos du choix de l’emplacement de la capitale. La reine Victoria avait choisi Ottawa, une petite ville forestière délabrée, située au milieu de nulle part!. Les politiciens réclamaient que cette décision soit reversée et le gouverneur général déplorait de se voir exilé loin de tout. À la blague, un journaliste américain disait que les envahisseurs se perdraient en essayant de trouver la capitale du Canada. En fait, Ottawa constituait un excellent choix, cette ville étant située au confluent des cultures anglophones et francophone.
Group that erected the marker: National Capital Commission - Commission de la capitale nationale
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
On Alexandra Bridge, adjacent to Nepean Point and Champlain's Statue
Ottawa, ON Canada
|
Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.