Some assisted passengers who travelled upriver to various destinations in 1845. 
This steamer left either Bytown, or Aylmer (Quebec) and travelled as far west as 
Fitzroy Harbour.  Passengers disembarked on either side of the river on the way. 
Some went to Huntley, March, etc. on the Ontario side. Others went to the Quyon and 
Onslow area of Quebec.

Michael Welch / Walsh
Mary Kennedy +2
Sheehan
Mrs. Collins (March)
D. Moriarty
Robert McNeil
Gauvin
M. Moriarty
Mary Lyons
M. Smith
Wm. Shakel
James Dolan
Sabby? Tracey
M. O'Brien (2)  D. Sullivan (2)
J. Grace (2) J. Driscoll (2)
Biddy Joyce
Maurice Barr
David Price (2) Jane Donahue (2)
Thomas McKennip 3 and Charles Piper / Pyper 2
Mathew Ryan 3.5 and W? Cunningham 2
Robert Saddler 3 Pat Launon? 1
Wm. Halferty 3.5 Mathew Smith 2
Thomas Egan 4.5 John Dolan 2
Pat Ryan 2      W or M Phee
John Gubbins or Gribbons
Catherine Kelly
Pat McGuire
Thomas Costello
Catherine Reilly
Widow McLaughlin
Catherine Cassidy and Johnston
B. Ryan and sister
Curry / Currie	

From the book The Upper Ottawa Valley by Clyde Kennedy:
"From 1833 to 1846 the steamer Lady Colbourne had taken passengers and 
supplies for lumbermen up the 32 mile long Lake Deschenes (from Aylmer, 
Quebec) to the Chats Falls at Fitzroy Harbour.
Beginning in 1836 the George Buchanan ran from above the Chats Falls at Fitzroy 
Harbour up to Renfrew.
During the 1850's a "Horse Railway" transported passengers and supplies around 
the Chats Falls. A hydro-electric dam was built here in the 1930's.

Thanks to Taylor Kennedy for the following: (Feb. 24, 2001)
	
Hi Al:
Thought I'd provide you with some actual accounts of steamers on the St. 
Lawrence, that one would surmise similarties to those that travelled the 
Rideau Canal. My ggrandmother was on the Chicora. A larger vessel for 
sailing the Great Lakes, and one would expect too large for the Rideau. I 
speculate she travelled down the Rideau on a smaller steamer and met the 
Chicora in Kingston, where she boarded and sailed on to Toronto, where she 
became ill. From Toronto they headed west towards Niagara Falls where she 
died on board in 1913. She was Catherine (Costello) Kennedy. Please enjoy. 
This information is out of those $5.00 books I bought at a flea market.



"On Friday, August 19, 1864, George Tuthill Borrett, a fellow of King's 
College, Cambridge, wrote to his father in England this description of the 
St. Lawrence river boat that had just taken him from Quebec City to 
Montreal.


This was my first introduction to the river steamers of the New World, and 
truly they are an institution to which nothing that we have can for a moment 
be compared for comfort and speed combined. The American river boat of which 
the Canadian is a copy is nothing more nor less than an immense floating 
hotel, a characteristic type of the people themselves,  a curious 
combination of democratic follies and aristocratic propensities; a mixture 
of every kind of life - fast life, slow life, busy life and lazy life, all 
under one roof. The saloon is a fine handsome room of great length and good 
height, fitted up with exaggerated decorations, extravagant and, as I think, 
tasteless. Along either side are state cabins, each and all a good bedroom 
in itself, comfortably arranged and very well ventilated ; and around them, 
on the outside, runs a sort of open deck or platform, where the passengers 
sit and promenade at their pleasure. At 6 p.m. dinner was served in the 
saloon, at the lower end, which is set apart as a dining room, a handsome 
"high tea" ; and after tea there was music, cards, chess and so on, till 
late in the evening, when, after a final moonlight walk outside, the 
passengers turned in.



In 1871, Mrs. Thomas Brassey, daughter-in-law of the Grand Trunk's builder 
and later a baroness, wrote with some disdain of the eating habits of 
"second and third rate Americans" as she called them, aboard a St. Lawrence 
river steamer just out of Kingston


Everybody stood around the room, leaning against the side of it, each with a 
chair behind them, which they had brought down from the deck ; no one being 
allowed to approach the table till the stewards in a loud voice announced, " 
Breakfast is now ready, ladies and gentlemen," upon which announcement they 
all flew at the table like a pack of hounds, and before we had time to 
approach, had cleaned (I can use no other word) the contents off every dish 
near them and to their own plates ;  and the gentlemen, in spite of the 
steward's remonstrance's, paid no attention to any ladies - or females, as 
they call them here - but to those in their own party. Luckily the captain 
knew us, and after a little delay we had a separate breakfast served to us.



It was the custom in those days to sneer at the Yankees. In 1876, John J. 
Rowan, an Englishman writing for the benefit of those of 
his peers who might want to emigrate, echoed the Baroness Brassey's words ;


Even the American tourists who travel in Canada for amusement and economy - 
for strange as it may seem, it is cheaper to travel in Canada than to live 
at home in the United States - are not of a stamp likely to charm Canadians 
into annexation. The better classes of Americans do not travel on the 
beautiful Canadian lakes, for fear of the rough and motley crowd of their 
own countrymen that they encounter on the steamboats. I do not think this 
latter people derive much enjoyment from the scenery of "Kennedy", as they 
call it, although they undoubtedly enjoy the good living. I recently had the 
pleasure of travelling in company with some four hundred of these tourists. 
One hour before dinner, though at the time our boat was running down one of 
the finest reaches of the St. Lawrence, these people crowded the dinner 
tables in the saloon. The waiters told them that unless they left the 
tables, the cloth and cutlery could not be laid. Upon this they drew back 
their chairs a foot or two to enable the waiters to pass to and fro, and 
there they sat for one hour, their hungry regards fixed on the table, their 
blackpanted extremities tucked under their chairs, like rows of carrion 
crows waiting for a dying horse. At last dinner was put on the table, and a 
fierce joy lit up solemn, yellow faces of the four hundred, and in the words 
of the captain they "went it strong", so strong indeed that the outsiders 
preferred bread and cheese on deck to partaking of that horrid repast.



In 1881 Lady Duffus Hardy, another titled Englishwoman, travelling on 
another St. Lawrence river steamer, described her first encounter with one 
native Canadian dish ;


I lean back on my luxurious lounge in a rather sleepy state, and am fast 
drifting away into a land of dreams, when I am roused by the long prolonged 
sound of the dinner gong, and we all crowd, helter-skelter, to the dining 
saloon, where our captain, a big burly man, sits at the head of the table, 
with sundry roasts and fancy dishes smoking before him. We speedily spoil 
our appetites, and leave but a mere wreck of bare bones and skeletons. One 
dish contains Indian corn cobs about a quarter of a yard long, looking white 
and tempting with their granulated covering. Believing that they are some 
stuffed delicacies, I ask for a small piece. A smile goes around, and I 
receive a whole one on my plate. What am I to do with it? I glance at my 
neighbours. Every one is holding a cob with two hands, and beginning at one 
end, nibbles along as though he were playing a flute till he gets to the 
other, repeating the process till the cob is stripped of it's pearly corn. I 
don't think it is worth the trouble of eating, though it is considered a 
great dainty on this side of the Atlantic."

Also from Taylor Kennedy on March 1, 2001:
In 1831, the entrance locks and the Rideau stretch of the canal were 
complete, allowing a steamboat to travel in a few hours what has taken 
McTaggart / Taggart (John) days on foot. Colonel By celebrated with a banquet and an ox 
"properly prepared and roasted whole." He expected to complete the entire 
project by the end of 1831 but was forced to postpone the opening until the 
spring of 1832, after a local miller damned the Rideau River in order to 
repair his mills.

Finally on May 24, 1832, Colonel By, his wife, two daughters, and a small 
party of contractors and dignitaries boarded the steamer "PUMPER" (later renamed 
The RIDEAU .. Taylor) at Kingston, and over the next five days made their way 
triumphantly up to the entrance of the locks at Bytown. At each lock, By was given 
an enthusiastic greeting, and at the Chaffey's Lock, 40  Indians gathered in their 
canoes to salute him.

Colonel By died February 01, 1836.

Source: The Canal that Colonel By Built, by Charles Magill published in The 
Old Farmers Almanac 2001.



From Bob Blackburn:

Hi...

I may have some info. My g-g-grandfather (James Blackburn) was a captain 
on the Lady Colborne, George Buchanan, Ann Scisson, and the Emerald between 
1840 - 1846/47. The boats he was on ran between Aylmer and the Chats.

Captain James Blackburn settled in the Aylmer area about 1832, shortly after arriving from
Scotland.

James was one of the early pioneers of the Aylmer, and Ottawa areas. He was one of the first
members of parliament from Aylmer, representing the County of Ottawa in the Lower Canada
Assembly, from 1834 until the suspension of the constitution of the province in 1838. To make
the journey from his constituency to the provincial capital in the city of Quebec required 
riding a full week on horseback each each way.

In the book "Pioneers of the Upper Ottawa" by Angus Gard, James is mentioned in the Aylmer
section as having been one of the town's officers, and that he and his son-in-saw Henry Chepmell
were among the first to establish a store in Aylmer with one of James' brothers being the town
baker.

James was also one of the first steamboat captains to navigate the waters of the Ottawa River
between Aylmer and the Chats, calling at March, Torbolton, and Quyon. He captained a number
of the steam boats, primarily the Lady Colborne, but also the George Buchanan, and the
Emerald, as well as the Ann Scisson for a brief period during 1844-1845. Few other details are
available related to the historical significance of this as navigation records were not generally
kept up until the Ottawa Forwarding Co. was established.

Some historical records of Canadian ships are contained in an online database by the Canadian
Heritage Information Network for archaeological research purposes. Both the Lady Colborne and
the George Buchanan are recorded in this database; the original reference source being John
Mills’ Canadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels 1809-1830.

The LADY COLBORNE was built in Aylmer, Quebec in 1833. She was 100 feet long with a 34
foot beam. The registration number was 9033933, and the Mills Number was 2405. The
GEORGE BUCHANAN was built in 1836 in Arnprior, Ontario. She was 77 feet long with a 27
foot beam. The registration number was 9033818, and the Mills Number was 1597.

The first references I found on any of the boats that James captained was in copies of the
“Bytown Gazette and Ottawa & Rideau Advertiser” on micro-film at the University of Waterloo
Dana Porter Library. One of the June, 1836 editions carried the following notice:

NOTICE
The Steamboat LADY COLBORNE, now plying between AYLMER and FITZROY Harbour,
(touching at the intermediate stations, viz: MARCH and TORBOLTON, Upper Canada; and
EARDLEY and ONSLOW, Lower Canada, as business may require) will continue her regular
trips, until further notice, every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, leaving
AYLMER on each of the said days a Six O’clock, A.M. and the CHATS, or FITZROY
HARBOUR, at One O’clock, P.M. and arriving at AYLMER the same day, where Stage Coaches 
will be in readiness to convey the Passengers to Bytown, the same evening.

The Steamer LADY COLBORNE, with an engine of thirty-two horsepower, is fitted up in a style
to ensure the comfort of her passengers, equal to any boat on the Ottawa River, and from the
above arrangement, will afford Ladies and Gentlemen who visit this part of the country, an
opportunity of seeing the beautiful scenery surrounding the Chaudiere and the Chat’s Rapids,
with only one day’s delay. On the days not specified for her regular trips as above mentioned this
Boat may be engaged for towing Rafts, or for pleasure parties, if required.

N.B. The Company will not be answerable for any Goods or Parcels sent by the LADY
COLBORNE unless delivered in charge to the purser when shipped, for which a receipt will be
given guaranteeing their being safely landed, as directed when the Company’s risk ceases.

For Freight and Passage, apply to George Clifford, Captain, on board, or to the undersigned
Agent in AYLMER; CHAS. SYMMES Aylmer, June 3, 1836.

The first reference to James Blackburn as Captain is found in the paper the following May
(1837). Immediately beneath this advertisement is one for a new boat, the GEORGE
BUCHANAN, which James also captained at some point in his career. Other references to James
as the captain appear in advertisements in almost every issue of the paper during the seasons that
the waterway was open. The first reference found that included his first name in the
advertisement was in the April 16, 1840 issue. 

In the “History of Steam Navigation” by James Croil, there is mention that in 1840 the LADY
COLBORNE became the mail boat between Montreal and Quebec (This conflicts with
newspaper advertisements I found that show the ship was still travelling above Ottawa as late as
1845). And then around 1856 the Tate Brothers, ship builders in Montreal, purchased the LADY
COLBORNE and renamed her the CRESCENT. They also owned the LADY ELGIN, and with
these two boats they started the fourth line of steamers plying between Montreal and Quebec.
The market simply wasn’t there for this many businesses and boats. The competition became
very cutthroat, with full cabin fare being $1.00, including meals and stateroom, and regular
steerage passage was down to 12.5 cents. This all came to an end with the tragedy of the
MONTREAL, in June 1840. While sailing from Quebec with over 400 passengers, most being
recent emigrants from Scotland on their way to their new homes, a fire broke out on board and
253 of the passengers were killed in the fire or by drowning in the cold waters of the St.
Lawrence.

On the Ottawa River it was quite different as the rapids on the river made it impassable for any
boats with cargo to reach Ottawa from Montreal. The original Grenville Canal was completed in
1832, the same year as the Rideau Canal was completed. This canal still couldn’t handle the
larger steamers so passengers disembarked at Carillon, took a train 13 miles to Grenville, and
then got on another steamer for the remainder of the journey to Ottawa. With this increased
traffic on the Ottawa came the formation of the Ottawa and Rideau Forwarding Company by
businessmen in Montreal.

The first steamer on the upper part of the Ottawa (between Grenville and Ottawa) is believed to
have been the UNION, Captain Johnson, built in 1819 and first in service in 1820, between
Grenville and Hull. It took 24 hours for the steamer to travel the 60 miles between the two
communities.

Although the “History of Steam Navigation” provides an extensive review of the early days of
steamboats between Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa, I have so far only been able to find limited
information on steamboat travel above Ottawa itself, between Aylmer and Fitzroy Harbour,
where James captained.

Although James’ name appears in the advertisements right up until 1840, another Captain took
over the Lady Colborne during 1841-1843 and James re-appears as Captain, starting in April
1844 through the last copies of the paper found on file, dated during the summer of 1845.

Hi Taylor:

The "Rideau" - now there's a steamboat I remember. (Not that I was there).
But I remember seeing the name before.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Taylor Kennedy" 
To: 
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001 5:18 AM
Subject: Steamers


> Hi Al
> I'm going to the Archives tommorrow so I was searching for a piece of
paper
> that had the reel # for Pinhey's diaries. During the search, I flipped
> through another book I bought, published in 1955 about the Rideau Canal.
> Inside some stories on Steamboats, I know you'll enjoy. I'll see some time
> this weekend to get them to you. By the way, the "Pumper" that Colonel By
> travelled up the Rideau was renamed "The Rideau" for the trip. That update
> and more.
 Take care
> Taylor

January 29, 2002:
Do you know anything about the old Louise apparently a ferry boat from
Pembroke Ont to Sheenboro area. My father's brother Michael John Tierney
called Jack lived in Sheen and was apparently captian on this ferry.He was
born 1868 first child of Denis Tierney and Catherine McDonald in Renfrew
county married Ellen D'Arcy of Sheen.
Thanks, Eileen Boardman, oldest living grandaughter of Denis and Catherine.
================

Eileen:
One of the best books on this subject is Clyde Kennedy's The Upper Ottawa Valley.
It's hard to find, but the Stittsville Library has a copy. You could get it on 
inter-library loan through your local library. I don't know if the Louise is mentioned
but it's worth looking at anyway.

... Al


 May 18, 2002:
Grenville and Carillon Canals
Early Canals in Quebec

I was wondering if any of you might have information or advice for
locating information on the Grenville and Carillon Canals, specifically
the Lock masters employed there.

Thank you,
Patrick Masson
================
Hello Patrick:

I don't have much information on the Grenville and Carillon Canals. I'd like
to find out more as I believe that some of the men who worked on them later
came to work on the Rideau Canal. There were quite a few people who came to
Bytown in the late 1820's from a place (parish?) called St. Scholastique
which may be north of the Oka Reservation which may be near the canals (sorry,
my geography is not great this early in the morning). I remember reading
that there was a man named Mears who had a boat building business near
Hawkesbury -- he built steamboats for use on the Ottawa River and possibly
also for the St. Lawrence River.

Robert Legget has written a book called The Ottawa Waterway. It may have
some information, but I don't have a copy of it yet.

I'm posting your query to this page in hopes that someone may
have information regarding early activities on this part of the Ottawa
River.

... Al
----------------------------
May 18, 2002:
Al, 
Thank you for your reply. 

I actually have a few books by Robert Legget, the most relevant being "Ottawa River 
Canals and the Defence of British North America." In this, Mr. Legget provides a 
detailed history of the construction of the Grenville, Carillon, Chute a Blondeau 
and Anne-de-Bellevue projects and their overall relationship to the "alternate route" 
from Montreal to Kingston. Unfortunately he does not include much on post construction. 
Another text, "History of the Counties of Argenteuil Quebec and Prescott Ontario  
From the Earliest  Settlement to the Present" which was written in 1896 by Cyrus 
Thomas, provides more information on the locals. 

One particular story included in the book you may be interested in is an account of a 
steam boat and its crew (a husband and wife) going over the Carillon Dam. My GGGGrandfather, 
as the lock master was involved in the rescue. The story is written in classic 19th 
century language. I would be happy to pass it on if you like. 

Thanks again for your assistance, 
Patrick 

Send e-mail to Taylor Kennedy, Eileen Boardman, Bob Blackburn, Patrick Masson and Al Lewis

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