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WHAT'S NEW on the Rideau Web Site

June 2009

Posted a photo called Poor Choices about the nesting choice made by a small bird and one made by a snapping turtle. See Poor Choices.
I've produced another book on CD on behalf of Friends of the Rideau (with the hard work of volunteer Bob Sears of the Canadian Canal Society (thanks Bob!!), who did the digital scanning and proofing). This one is "The First Tay Canal in the Rideau Corridor, 1830-1850" by Larry Turner. You'll find the sales info for this book at: www.rideaufriends.com/sales/books.html.

May 2009

I've produced another book on CD on behalf of Friends of the Rideau (with the hard work of volunteer Helen Parson (thanks Helen!!), who did the digital scanning and proofing). This one is "Recreational Boating on the Rideau Waterway, 1890-1930" by Larry Turner. You'll find the sales info for these books at: www.rideaufriends.com/sales/books.html.

I've completed two more books on CD on behalf of Friends of the Rideau. One is "The Builders of the Rideau Canal, 1826-32" by Edward F. Bush (1976) and the other is "Historic Bridges on the Rideau Waterways System" by Robert W. Passfield (1976). You'll find the sales info for these books at: www.rideaufriends.com/sales/books.html.

March 2009

This isn't to do with this website, but I've completed another Book on CD on behalf of Friends of the Rideau. This one is "The Rideau Canal: 1832 - 1914" by Judith Tulloch (1975). You'll find the sales info for this book at: www.rideaufriends.com/sales/books.html.

February 2009

Added a new article about the Tay Canal which links the Rideau Canal with Perth. This year is the 175th anniversary of the First Tay Canal (opened in 1834) - the article touches on travelling the Tay Canal today and the history of the First Tay Canal. See Celebrating the Tay Canal.

Parks Canada has proposed an action plan regarding the issue of wash/wake on the Rideau. See the Wash/Wake Proposed Action Plan.

Posted some photos of Rick Mercer participating in the relay race at Skate-the-Lake in Portland. See Rick Mercer does Skate-the-Lake.

January 2009

Still puttering on various projects - no major updates.

December 2008

Just puttering on various projects - no major updates.

November 2008

Added a new article by Robert Sneyd about the military role of the Rideau Canal in the 19th century. Even recently, misguided historians and journalists have taken the simplistic (and incorrect) view that the Rideau Canal was a "failure" since we didn't enter into another war with the U.S. Robert Sneyd, an expert on this period of Rideau Canal history, shows that the Rideau Canal was in fact a success, serving its intended purpose by acting as a deterrent to American invasion and helping to keep the peace during these decades of most vital Canadian social, economic and political development. See Rideau Canal: Endurance Of Its Military Rationale, 1812-1871.

I've added the 2008 vessel passage statistics. See the Statistics Page.

I've added the 2009 fees and schedules. See the Fees Page.

October 2008

We're Number 2!! - National Geographic rated the Rideau Canal as the 2nd best in the world historic place travel destination. An independent panel of 280 experts in travel-related fields from around the globe scrutinized 109 historic places, the theme of the 2008 survey. The experts scored how well the sites are enduring the pressures of mass tourism, ravages of nature, and development, according to the November/December 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine (The Danube River in Austria's Wachau Valley ranked 1st).

The YAPing (Yet Another Project) I was doing over the summer was a project to re-publish some of Parks Canada's Rideau Manuscript Reports as books on CD. Produced in the 1970s and 1980s, these reports cover a variety of history and heritage topics about the Rideau Canal. The first such book has now been published - it is "Construction History of the Rideau Canal" by Karen Price (1976). I've produced this "book on CD" on behalf of Friends of the Rideau. You can see the sales info at: www.rideaufriends.com/sales/books.html.

Next in line is "The Rideau Canal: 1832-1914" (a.k.a. The Rideau Canal: Defence, Transport and Recreation) by Judith Tulloch. This will be followed by "Builders of the Rideau Canal" by Edward Bush and "Commercial Navigation on the Rideau Canal" also by Edward Bush. Each one takes a couple of months to produce - so they will be coming out sometime this winter, as my available time permits.

September 2008

Posted a new Tale of the Rideau - this one is titled "The Lake Lock." It answers the question "Why is there a lock in the middle of a lake?". See The Lake Lock.

Posted a few new photos. See The Big Orange Weed Eater, Captain Lance and Chuckles, Locking Through Jones Falls and A Quiet Lockage.

Barry Ross is interested in restoring the rather unique "cottage" on Colonel By Island that used to belong to Danny Arnstein, the owner of the Yellow Cab Company of Chicago and New York City. The cottage, designed by architect Horace Roberts of Westport, was built in 1949-50. If you know of any local person who is still alive who had personal dealings with Mr. Amstein, or anyone with old (50s, 60s) photos of the building (particularly the interior) please contact contact Barry Ross at bpross@idirect.com

August 2008

I've been busy YAPing (Yet Another Project). I'll let you know about it in a month or so.

July 2008

It's been a while since I posted new photos so thought it was time to add a few. See Green Heron II, Martelloed, Lockstation Camping, Moored at Newboro and A Helping Hand.

The Sweeney Diary book has arrived - months of hard work have resulted in a beautiful 198 page book that will prove interesting to anyone remotely interested in the Rideau (or just life in this part of Upper Canada in the mid-1800s). It is available by mail-order from Friends of the Rideau (see www.rideaufriends.com/sales/) and from fine bookstores in the Rideau Corridor.

June 2008

The Sweeney Diary book is completed and has been sent off to the printer.

May 2008

still busy - I've been "slaving away" on a new book project - this time as editor rather than author. The book is "The Sweeney Diary - The 1839 to 1850 Journal of Lockmaster Peter Sweeney". This book will provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of the first lockmaster at Jones Falls - it's the only first hand account we have of a 19th century Rideau lockmaster. The diary has been enhanced by local historian Susan Warren who has provided a piece on "The Life and Times of Lockmaster Peter Sweeney" and a "Who's Who in the Diary", a brief biographical listing of the people mentioned in the diary. The diary itself is somewhat cryptic in places. For instance the initials C.D.H.A.Q. appear time and again meaning "Catherine Drunk, Had A Quarrel." Catherine was Sweeney's wife - his home life was rather tumultuous. The book is almost ready to be sent to the printer <yeah!!>. I'm doing this project on a volunteer basis for Friends of the Rideau - we should see it for sale in stores and on-line by late June.

April 2008

busy on a book project.

March 2008

Athough not directly related to the Rideau, of interest to some will be a short introduction to geotagging digital photos that I've posted to my digital photography website. Geotagging will let you forever provide a correct answer to "Where exactly did I take that photo?" It's a method to enter the latitude, longitude, altitude and facing direction into a digital photo. It's actually quite a simple process and you don't necessarily need a GPS unit (although it does work better with a GPS). Have a look at my Geotagging Digital Photos page.

Parks Canada is soliciting your comments regarding boat wash/wake on the Rideau. Is it a problem? See the Wash/Wake Survey Page.

Added two articles, both by Robert B. Sneyd, detailing the early success of the Rideau Canal, particulary with regards to its important role in early Canadian commerce and its pivotal role in providing a safe transportation route for tens of thousands of loyal British immigrants into Upper Canada in the 1830s and 1840s. See Rideau Boom Years: Commercial Success and Rideau Boom Years: British Immigration to Upper Canada, 1832-46.

Another Rideau Tale - this one details the reasons why Lt. Colonel John By was recalled by Parliament and why he never received any recognition for the Rideau Canal in his lifetime. See Bye By. For all the stories (now up to 18) see the Tales of the Rideau section.

February 2008

I managed to get out this weekend to take some photos at the tremendously successful first annual Rideau Cup Dog Sled Races - held at Newboro. The perfect weather helped to make this a great first event. I've posted a couple of the photos I took to my Winter Photo Gallery. See Racing to the Finish, Hi There and On the Trail.

Another Rideau Tale - this one about what happened when a gravel pit crew started to dig in a forgotten canal era cemetery. See A Grave Revealing. For all the stories (now up to 17) see the Tales of the Rideau section.

I'm still ~~slogging away~~ happily puttering away at adding new stories about the Rideau to my Tales of the Rideau section. The most recent additions include the true stories The Sluiced Superintendent and The Failed Gates. See: Tales of the Rideau section.

January 2008

As a special treat to the loyal visitors to my Rideau website, I've posted a brand new section that I'm calling Tales of the Rideau. In this section I'm going to post various stories of the Rideau - some factual, some not so much. I've come across these in my various outings and readings, but have never seen them compiled in a single spot. Well, they are now. I've started off with a few stories, more will come. Have a look at my Tales of the Rideau. Enjoy!!

December 2007

The security of the Rideau Canal was of great importance in the 1800s. Threats of rebellion and American invasion led to the construction of many defensible lockmaster houses in the early 1840s. These buildings were placed on the height of land at the lock, with a commanding view of both approaches to the station. These were also the living quarters of the lockmaster, who required a unobstructed view of the approaches to see traffic coming. In recent years, these land around these houses has become overgrown, removing these buildings from their historical context. In the fall of 2007, Parks Canada initiated a project to restore these heritage viewscapes. It not only puts these buildings back into their proper historical context, but it will also improve the visitor experience to those lockstations. For more information and some photos, see my article Rideau Heritage Viewscapes.

November 2007

Ever wonder what the Rideau Canal looked like before canal dams flooded the pre-canal lakes and rivers in 1831? If you have either of my books, Engineered Landscapes or The Rideau Route, you already know - but the for the rest, I've finally had the time to create and post a much abbreviated description of the early Rideau to my new Rideau Route Section. You'll still need the book for all the details, but this section will give you a taste.

How many locks are there on the Rideau Canal? The correct answer is either 44, 45, 46 or 47 depending on your definition of a lock (hint: does a lock have to provide lift?) and your definition of the Rideau Canal (hint: does it include the Tay Canal?). I generally use 45 while Parks Canada uses 47. For the reasons why, see the statistics page.

I've added the 2007 vessel passage statistics. See the statistics page.

October 2007

I've added two new photos, both of Davis Lock. One I've titled Guns n' Geraniums, have a look at Guns n' Geraniums and you'll see why. The other is Davis Lock - A Contrast of Seasons, a bit unique, not a photo of the lock, but of a beautiful quilt done of the lock - well worth a look.

September 2007

Way too busy - no major updates

August 2007

I've been taking a lot of photos this year but haven't had a chance to get many posted. I've taken a bit of time to add 3 new ones, have a look at Zen Heron, Big Ears and True North.

July 2007

One of the audience hits at the Grand Celebration of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa on June 30, 2007 was the Fort Henry Guard Fife and Drum Corps. See the photo of the Fifes.

Added a poem about the Rideau Canal by John Morrison to the articles & poems section of the website. See: The Rideau Canal.

June 2007

The Rideau Canal has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site - recognizing it's importance to Canada and the World. Read the Press Release

The loons on the Rideau's lakes and rivers started nesting in mid-late May and now the chicks have hatched. The little loon chicks rest up by taking a ride on their mother's back. See: Hey!! I Want a Ride Too!!.

The Rideau 175 events are now in full swing. One item beyond the control of the organizers is the weather which can play havoc with outdoor events. A case in point is this photo of a thunderstorm moving in on the Newboro In-Water Boat Show. See: Run Away ... Run Away!!.

May 2007

The Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper is producing an 80 page supplement all about the Rideau Canal, due out on June 30, 2007. This will be the first serious print journalism done about the Rideau in some time. They've been collecting information and stories about the Rideau for the past few months. Recently they did a boat tour of the Rideau, from Kingston to Ottawa, and I've included a photo from the trip - see: A Hard Day's Work.

I finnally got a bit of time to add some new photos. Have a look at A Flying Gate, a new lock gate being lifted into position. There is also a portrait of The By Family and Paddles High, kids having fun in a voyageur canoe.

Rideauphiles will be interested to know that the new Rogers TV Series "Rideau Runs Through It" is now available in DVD or VHS. The episodes focus on communities along the Rideau: Seeley's Bay, Chaffey's Lock, Westport, Portland, Perth, Smiths Falls, Merrickville, Burritts Rapids and Ottawa. For more information visit their website: www.rogerstelevision.com/ottawa/rideaurunsthroughit

April 2007

No major updates - too busy with a multitude of other things

A whole bunch of new Rideau "stuff" is out. This includes several new books, a new music CD, a new version of Chart 1513 (Kingston to Smiths Falls), a new Rideau Boating and Road Guide, and Rideau 175 merchandize. You'll find it all available from Friends of the Rideau - visit their website at: www.rideaufriends.com

March 2007

It's here!! My new book - The Rideau Route: Exploring the Pre-Canal Waterway is now available. This book will take you back to 1783, to the first survey of the route by Lt. Gershom French. The book explores what the Rideau Route looked like before it was flooded by the building of canal dams in 1827-31. In addition to investigating the pre-canal geography, the maps and survey reports (transcriptions) of Lt. French's 1783 survey, Lt. Joshua Jebb's 1816 survey and Samuel Clowes' 1823 and 1824 surveys are also included in the book. It's an interesting (and educational) read. See the The Rideau Route Page.

Added an article about the Long Term Capital Plan for the Rideau Canal written by Bill Pratt, Chief Engineer of the Rideau Canal. See the Articles Page.

I've added six new photos to the photo galleries. There is a photo of Jones Falls on a misty morning, one with a big and a little boat at Morton Bay, one I call A Duck's Life, one with an early morning view of Westport, a view of Perth from under the bridge, and one of the waterfront in Kingston.

My new book, "The Rideau Route: Exploring the Pre-Canal Waterway" has been finished and sent to the printer (yippee!!!!). I should have a whole bunch of copies (and accordingly also be deeply in debt) by early April. I'll post the full details about how to get this fascinating new book about the Rideau Canal as soon as it is ready to be sold. Now that the book is done, it should free up some time to devote to this website - well maybe not immediately - I have to write a talk (to be given on April 15, 2007 in Merrickville - see coming events), and finish up several dozen other things on my very long "to-do" list.

On March 1 the Rideau Route Tourism Association launched a completely revamped Rideau tourism website at: www.rideauheritageroute.ca. I've been helping out with some of the material for that site and I think it will be a great resource for anyone planning a visit to the Rideau. It's a bit of a different focus than this website and of course it's a professionally done site (not done by me), whereas this site is simply a hobby gone completely mad. It's well worth a look - another great resource (almost as good as this site) for anyone planning a visit to the Rideau.

February 2007

It's a surprise for many people to learn that the biggest killer of workers during the construction of the Rideau Canal in 1827-1831 was malaria - a disease not understood at the time, and its history in North America not remembered today. A number of myths and misconceptions have grown over the years about malaria on the Rideau - so I wrote an article about it in the latest Friends of the Rideau newsleter. You'll find this article in the articles section of this website.

January 2007

I've added two more photos to the photo galleries. One is titled Entering, showing kayaks entering a lock, and one is called Rack and Pinion showing the gate valve opening mechanisms.

It's the 175th anniversary of the opening of the Rideau Canal - the oldest continously operated canal in North America. There will be many events celebrating this anniversary - see my Rideau 175 page.

December 2006

Added a little warmth to the Christmas season with two photos of the Old Stone Mill in Delta lit up at night. See Christmas Glow at the Old Stone Mill and Stone Glow

Added an article by Monte Grisborne, titled "Solar Cruising on the Rideau Canal," about a Rideau trip this summer with his family aboard the "Loon", a solar powered pontoon boat. See the Articles Page.

Redesigned the Chaffey's Lock and Area Heritage Society website and added a new section dealing with the Clear Lake Cemetery Restoration. Many thanks to Martha Stanton-Smith for all of her hard work in putting together the Clear Lake Cemetery information - I was able to simply "whack" her website design and incorporate it into the Chaffey's Lock and Area Heritage Society website

November 2006

No major updates - got sidetracked on other projects

October 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!! I've added two fall photos to the People, Places and Boats Gallery. You'll find Fall View from Rock Dunder, and Reflection Paddle

Added a small article about trip through the Rideau by an electrically powered Tug boat. See Electric Tug completes Rideau Canal Transit

September 2006

I've added another photo to the People, Places and Boats Gallery. Blacksmithing at Jones Falls is a photo showing the blacksmith working at Jones Falls with the assistance of Michel Cotte, the on-site inspector for the Rideau Canal's nomination for World Heritage Status.

It's been a great summer and I have hundreds of new photos, a couple of which I've just posted. In the Nature Gallery I've added Leaping into Flight - an Osprey taking flight.

In the People, Places and Boats Gallery you'll find Cedarman, Kayaking Bedford Mills, Where's the Loon? and La Vagabonde.

August 2006

More photos added to the People, Places and Boats Gallery. The first is a pretty interesting way to take your dog for a boat ride - I call it Dog Paddle. The second features a splash of colour - called Summer Spectrum.

I've added another photo to the People, Places and Boats Gallery. This one is titled Mahogany in Motion.

Since the weather of late has been gorgeous I've been out and about taking photos. I've posted a few of these to the website. In the Rideau Locks Gallery you'll find: Summer Weekend at Jones Falls, Fendersville, Locking at Edmonds, and Under the Bridge. In the People, Places and Boats Gallery you'll find Pine Paddle, Powering & Puttering, A Moored Classic and The Old Methodist Church. In the Nature Gallery I've added: Golden Sunrise and Green Heron.

July 2006

The Rideau Heritage Route which has been a work in progress for several years now is almost about to be road signed (to the city boundaries of Ottawa which hasn't yet given permission for the route signs). So, I've put the driving directions for this route into my Driving Tours section.

What happens when a rainbow and a sunset collide? - you get a Raibow-Sunset - have a look at: Rainbow-Sunset

June 2006

It's June, the weather is great - so I've been out doing some photography. I've posted three new photos into the Nature photo gallery - have a look at: Prehistoric Wanderer, Mum and the kids, and Pied-billed Grebe.

May 2006

ENGINEERED LANDSCAPES - it's here!! Most of my free time for the last 3 years has been occupied in researching and writing a new book. Titled "Engineered Landscapes: the Rideau Canal's Transformation of a Wilderness Waterway" it reconstructs the geography of the pre-canal waterway (including transcriptions of the first three surveys of the Rideau Route) and documents the amount of flooding created by the building of the Rideau Canal's dams and locks in 1826-1831. Primarily a research document, those with a keen scientific or historical interest in the Rideau Canal will enjoy it. For the general public, I plan to release another (less expensive) book, titled "The Rideau Route" in early 2007 (to help celebrate Rideau 175) - that book will be a re-write of Part 1 of Engineeered Landscapes (the early surveys and the pre-canal landscape), designed for a general audience. But, if you're a Rideau keener, have a look at my Engineered Landscapes page for full details about the book.

What happens when a Black Rat snake comes nose to nose with my dog, Katie? Fortunately nothing when separated by the impenetrable barrier of a thin screen door. See How Much is that Doggy in the Window.

I've added a little website about the Rideau Canal Heritage Network, a network of heritage professionals and volunteers who play a key role in the conservation of the cultural heritage resources of the Rideau Canal Corridor. See the Rideau Canal Heritage Network pages.

April 2006

I happen to like turtles, so I've added two more turtle photos to the photo gallery. These were taken this spring. See Up in the Sky ... and Turtle Calisthenics.

For those waiting to get out on the water - the ice on some of the southern Rideau lakes broke on April 3, 2006 (yeah!!).

March 2006

I've added two new poem to the website. These were sent to me by John Morrison, formerly of Manotick. The poem Rideau Hues is about the loveliness of the Rideau and the poem The Lady of the Stones is the tragic tale of the death in 1861 of Ann Crosby. These and other poems can be found linked from the Articles Page

February 2006

I've added a peek into the past, a partial transcription of the book "Three Years in Canada", written by John MacTaggart (Clerk of the Works for the Rideau Canal from 1826 to 1828) and published in 1829. While MacTaggart's accounts are somewhat embellished, they make an interesting read. See Three Years in Canada in the History section of this website.

Those travelling the Rideau may have noticed a bit of aquatic vegetation here and there. These aquatic plants are an important part of the natural ecosystem, but excessive growth can sometimes interfere with human activities such as swimming or boating. Parks Canada keeps the navigation channel clear of this vegetation and issues permits to waterfront owners to remove some of this vegetation. I've adapted a new brochure on this topic to the web - see Managing Aquatic Vegetation on the Rideau Canal in the Local Resident's Section of this website.

The World Heritage Nomination for the Rideau Canal has been re-submitted to UNESCO. The original nomination documents were submitted on January 28, 2005, but a requirement for more detailed mapping and new submission criteria led to a complete re-work of the nomination. The new nomination was submitted to UNESCO on January 25, 2006. It is hoped that this will allow for designation in June 2007. For more info see Rideau Canal World Heritage Nomination.

January 2006

2006 marks the 10^th anniversary of this website. From a modest start in 1996 this website has grown into a very large information source about the Rideau Canal and surrounding area. It's an individual hobby website maintained and supported by Ken Watson, there is no affiliation or direct support from any government agency or any other organization. I'd like to thank several individuals in the Rideau Canal Office of Parks Canada who have been very supportive over the years, keeping me up to date with information regarding the canal. I'd also like to thank the general public who send me emails thanking me for posting this information to the web - I receive these on a daily basis and it is this type of feedback and encouragement that keeps me going.

Rideau-Info.com is by far the largest and most comprehensive website about the Rideau Canal and surrounding region. As of January 1, 2006, the site contained over 365 pages of text information (well over 100,000 words), a photo gallery with 423 photos, dozens of maps, many smaller photos, plus several tables and other data pertaining to the Rideau. During 2005 the monthly visitor count to this website ranged from a low of 43,338 to a high of 50,760, producing from 674,135 to 1,166,137 page hits per month.

A walking tour of Burritts Rapids, created by Pat Stroulger has been posted to the website - see the Walking Tour of Burritts Rapids.

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This page was last updated on: June 19, 2009
URL: www.rideau-info.com/canal/whats_new.html
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