July 26, 2011:

Hi Al
 
I was researching tonight and while on the Library and Archives Canada website I found these old maps.  Maybe you can figure out how 
to link to them from your site.  While on Archives Canada site I just typed "Fire Insurance Plans of Ottawa"  
It had to be in quotes.  There are pages and pages of these kinds of maps.  The one I attached is only part of the map.
 
Mary Cox
_____________________

Thanks, Mary, these are terrific maps for showing the details of urban areas around Ottawa in the 1800's.

Maps of Urban areas

Insurance plan of Ottawa, Ontario, June 1878



Maps of Rural areas

There is another very good site for digital maps of the rural areas in the 1870's. They are stored at McGill University
as part of their Canadian County Atlas Digital Project. If your ancestor had a farm anywhere in Ontario in the 1870's,
you should be able to locate the farm on the maps. These maps give details such as exact location, acreage, etc.

... Al