Rideau Falls
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
The Rideau Falls were named in 1613 when Samuel de Champlain first travelled through this area in search of a navigable route to China. To the early French explorer, the falls resembled a great curtain of water — "rideau” is French for curtain.
Rideau Canal contractor Thomas MacKay recognized the power in the twin waterfalls and purchased the water-power rights around Rideau Falls, where he built an industrial complex including a gristmill, woolen mill, sawmill and brewery. A new sawmill built in 1848 included 40 saws and had a daily production capacity of 40,000 feet of lumber. MacKay would go on to lay out the village of New Edinburgh for his workers, marking the community's beginnings as a working-class neighbourhood.
After World War II, the land around Rideau Falls was acquired by the federal government and cleared of industry. Today, the area is managed by the National Capital Commission.
