Ottawa Curling Club
440 O'Connor Street
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
The Ottawa Curling Club (formerly known as the Bytown Curling Club) was founded in 1851 when the club first played on the Rideau Canal. The Club would later move to a location near the present site of the Supreme Court of Canada before moving to its current location in 1916.
Curling, which dates back to the 1500s, was originally played with actual stones. It is widely believed that curling first appeared in Canada when the 78th Fraser Highland Regiment melted cannonballs to make iron curling stones and then curled them in Québec City between 1759 and 1760.
The Ottawa Curling Club has won its share of trophies and awards, including the Governor General's trophy, which it has won over 30 times. Famous past members include Sir Sandford Fleming, Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie, and founding patron Thomas MacKay.
