Picture courtesy of Library and Archives, Canada C5288
Across Highway 2 from Fort Wellington, County Road 2, Prescott
Commemoration
This company, incorporated in 1850, built a railway from Prescott to Bytown (Ottawa) for the shipment of lumber and farm products to the markets of the northeastern United States and Montreal. Substantial funds were raised at Bytown, Prescott and other municipalities along the line. In 1851, Walter Shanly, Chief Engineer, started construction, and a train first ran from Prescott to Bytown on Christmas Day 1854. The railway, renamed the Ottawa and Prescott in 1855, was the first to serve the nation's future capital, giving it access at Prescott to the St. Lawrence River and the Grand Trunk Railway. In 1867, it became the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway and, in 1884, was leased to the Canadian Pacific Railway for 999 years.
Background
Railways not only improved transportation and commerce as Canada grew. They became the sinews of the new country, binding together people in a way that made the distances less important. They also ensured that goods could move in Canada instead of having to go through the United States, reinforcing our economic independence.
This railway was used to bring the stone to Ottawa to construct the original parliament buildings (mostly destroyed by fire during the First World War).
Under the CPR, the line was known as the Prescott Subdivision.
After decreasing use in the 20th century, the rails were pulled in 1966. The last remaining rails in Ottawa were used for the first O-Train service. These have now been pulled up as well but a new line is using the same right-of-way.