Ottawa Valley facts for kids
The Ottawa Valley is a large area of land around the Ottawa River. This river forms the border between Eastern Ontario and Quebec in Canada. The valley is a special place where two different types of land meet: the flat Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the ancient, rocky Canadian Shield.
The valley starts narrow in the west because of the surrounding shield. As it goes east, it gets much wider, especially on the Ontario side of the river. About 1.3 million people live in this valley, and most of them (around 80%) live in the city of Ottawa. The whole Ottawa Valley covers a huge area of about 2.4 million hectares (6 million acres). The National Capital Region, which includes Ottawa and nearby areas, has over 1.4 million people living in both provinces.
Near Ottawa, the Ottawa Valley joins the St. Lawrence Valley to the south. This creates a large area of flat farmland that stretches from the Ottawa River all the way to the Saint Lawrence River, reaching as far east as the island of Montreal. This area is sometimes called the "Lower Ottawa Valley," but most people think of the Ottawa Valley as the part west of Ottawa.
Many towns and cities are found in the Ottawa Valley, from west to east. These include Mattawa, Deep River (home to Canada's nuclear reactor program), Petawawa (a big Canadian military base), Pembroke (where Samuel de Champlain once visited), Fort Coulonge, Shawville, Renfrew, Quyon, Arnprior, Ottawa (Canada's capital city), Rockland, L'Orignal, Hawkesbury, and Rigaud. Other smaller places include Almonte, Round Lake Centre, Dacre, Douglas, Hyndford, Scotch Bush, Osceola, and Barr Line.
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History of the Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is part of the traditional land of the Omàmiwininiwak (Algonquin Nation). This land is currently under a land claim. Long ago, the Iroquois people took over the land south of the Ottawa River. Later, they gave it to the British Crown. Because of this, most Algonquin communities are now on the Quebec (north) side of the river. However, many Algonquin people and communities are not officially recognized by the Canadian government.
When European settlers first arrived in North America, the main business in the Ottawa Valley was fur trading. The valley was a key route for French-Canadian Voyageurs. These brave travelers paddled canoes up the Ottawa River and then carried their canoes over land to reach Georgian Bay on Lake Huron.
Later, the main industry became lumber. This business is still important in the narrow western part of the valley where there isn't much farmland. Today, most people in the valley live in Ottawa and its surrounding areas. Here, government jobs and technology are the main industries.
Archaeologists have found many old sites on Morrison's Island and Allumette Island. These sites show signs of the Algonquin First Nations tribes from thousands of years ago. Items found include native copper and spearheads, dating from about 5,000 to 2,000 years ago.
Major Towns in the Upper Ottawa Valley
Petawawa is a town in Renfrew County. Its name comes from the Algonquian language and means "where one hears the noise of the water." Samuel de Champlain traveled through this area, and it was an important spot for the Hudson's Bay Company. Many early settlers were from Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. Today, Petawawa is home to CFB Petawawa, one of Canada's largest military bases.
Pembroke is also in Renfrew County, located on the Ottawa River. It is known as “the heart of the Ottawa Valley.” Pioneers founded it in 1828, and it became a center for the logging industry. Today, Pembroke is the biggest service center between Ottawa and North Bay.
Languages Spoken
Both English and French are spoken throughout the Ottawa Valley. Prescott and Russell County, in the Ottawa Valley, has the highest number of French speakers in Canada outside of Quebec. The French spoken here is similar to Quebec French but has its own unique sound.
The Valley Twang
Canada usually doesn't have many strong regional accents. But because the Ottawa Valley was quite isolated before railways arrived, and because of the mix of French, Irish, and Scottish people, a special way of speaking developed. It's called the Ottawa Valley Twang. You can still hear parts of it today, especially in the more isolated western areas of the valley.
Music and Heritage
The Ottawa Valley has a rich musical history. It started with the music traditions of Irish and French immigrants. This music grew and developed in the lumber camps, which were a big part of the Ottawa River logging industry. These traditions continued at local festivals and hotels. Famous places like Lennox Gavan's Hotel in Quyon, Quebec and Fred Meilleur's Chapeau Hotel on L'Ile aux Allumettes (which has since burned down) were very important.
Legendary performer and songwriter Mac Beattie and the Melodiers also helped keep the Ottawa Valley's music alive. Today, many artists like Gail Gavan, Terry McLeish, April Verch, and Trevor Grahl continue these musical traditions.
Local Food
The Ottawa Valley has many farms that raise beef and grow corn. There are also many local breweries throughout the valley. The Village of Killaloe is famous as the birthplace of a sweet pastry called a "beaver tail."
Getting Around (Transportation)
There are two main highways on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. Highway 417 (also called The Queensway) runs east to west through Ottawa. Highway 416 (The Veterans Memorial Highway) runs north to south. West of Ottawa, Highway 417 becomes the two-lane Highway 17. East of Ottawa, Highway 174 branches off from Highway 417.
On the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, Autoroute 5 runs north-south through Gatineau. It starts from the Macdonald Cartier Bridge. Route 148 runs mostly east-west through Gatineau and Hull.
There are five major road bridges that cross the Ottawa River in the Ottawa area. There are also three bridges west of the city and one to the east. Many ferries also carry people and cars across the river at different points.
Part of the Trans Canada Railway goes through the Ottawa Valley. Via Rail runs passenger trains to and from Ottawa and other towns. The main train routes from the region go from Ottawa to Montreal and Ottawa to Toronto. Ottawa also has a large train yard for freight trains.
The Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (CYOW) has flights to other major Canadian cities and international airports. It's an important airport for diplomats and international visitors coming to Canada. Major airlines like Air Canada and WestJet use this airport. It is Canada's 7th busiest airport.
Famous People from the Valley
Many well-known people come from the Ottawa Valley. These include former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson, singer Alanis Morissette, writer Margaret Atwood, actor Lorne Greene, and hockey legends like Guy Lafleur, Bryan Murray, Terry Murray, and Frank Finnigan. Other famous people include musicians Bruce Cockburn and Paul Anka, TV personalities Peter Jennings, Ryan Reynolds, Matthew Perry, Dan Aykroyd, Norm Macdonald, Tom Green, and Rich Little. Even Princess Margriet of the Netherlands has connections here.
Many athletes from Ottawa have done well, especially in winter sports. Barbara Ann Scott was a world figure skating champion and won a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics. Skier Ann Heggtveit won a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Elizabeth Manley won a silver medal for figure skating at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Linda Thom won an Olympic gold medal in shooting at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Francis Amyott won the single canoeing event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Two premiers of Ontario also came from the Ottawa Valley: Premier Howard Ferguson (from Kemptville) in the 1920s and Premier Dalton McGuinty (from Ottawa), who became premier in 2003.
"Hockey Country"
The Ottawa Senators ice hockey team calls Ottawa and the Valley "hockey country." This area is home to the Senators, who were a prominent team long ago, then stopped playing, and came back in 1992. It's also where famous hockey builders like Tommy Gorman and Ambrose O'Brien came from. The Senators' arena, the "Canadian Tire Centre (CTC)," is located in Kanata, which connects Ottawa with the Valley. This makes it easy for people from the Upper Ottawa Valley to go to games. The CTC can hold 20,500 people for events.
The Renfrew Millionaires, a small-town professional hockey team created by lumber baron O'Brien, won the league championship in 1910. Ottawa and the valley have also produced great players like Frank Nighbor, Aurel Joliat, Frank "King" Clancy, Frank Boucher, Kurtis Foster, and Denis Potvin. Brian Kilrea from Ottawa holds the record as the longest-serving coach in the Ontario Hockey League for the Ottawa 67's junior hockey team. The Ottawa 67's are very popular and often sell out their games. They play at Lansdowne Park, which used to be home to the Ottawa Senators. The 67's have won two Memorial Cups (in 1984 and 1999).
Geography of the Valley
The Ottawa Valley covers more than 7,645 square kilometers. About 12,800 years ago, huge glaciers melted away from this area. This left the valley covered by the Champlain Sea for thousands of years. Ten thousand years ago, the water went away, and the land appeared. This revealed fossils preserved in limestone, especially near Eganville along the Bonnechere River and at the Bonnechere Caves.
More than half of the Ottawa Valley is now wilderness. Renfrew County, in the middle of the Ottawa Valley, is the largest county in Ontario (not counting the administrative regions in Northern Ontario). The Ottawa Valley has over 900 lakes and four major river systems. Ottawa itself is where three rivers meet: the Ottawa, Gatineau, and Rideau rivers.
The Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is 1,130 kilometers long. Its water basin covers 140,000 square kilometers. The river starts at Lac Capimitchigama in Quebec. The Huron, Algonquin, Iroquois, and Outaouais people were the first to travel and settle along the Ottawa River. The river is named after an Indigenous tribe, the "Outaouais," who traded on its waters.
The Ottawa River was very important for people starting logging businesses. The river's area had many trees, few rules, and cheap workers. This helped business owners quickly gain control of the timber trade. Loggers used the fast-moving waters and forests to build their businesses. These loggers played a key role in developing the valley. They guided logs downriver, which helped major towns and cities like Ottawa and Gatineau grow.
The Algonquin people called the Ottawa River "Kitchissippi," meaning “Great River.” The Algonquin word Kichesippirini means "Big River People." The name Petawawa also comes from the Algonquin language, meaning “where one hears a noise like this.”
Flora and Fauna
More than 400 different kinds of animals live in the Ottawa Valley. The white trillium, which grows all over the Ottawa Valley, has been Ontario's provincial flower emblem since 1937. Its white flower represents peace and hope.
The White pine, which is Ontario's provincial tree, was the most important tree for logging in the 1800s. It was sent to Europe and used to build the masts of sailing ships. Winter was the best time to cut trees because they fell more easily when their sap wasn't flowing. Also, ice and snow made it easier to drag the timber. Spring was the season when loggers would “drive” the logs down the river.
See also
- National Capital Region
- Eastern Ontario
- Southern Ontario
- Ottawa Valley Twang
Images for kids
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Federally Recognized Algonquin Communities and Dialect Isoglosses
