Shipwrecks of
Ottawa
A walking tour along
the Ottawa River
In 1823, Thomas Mears and Philemenon Wright launched the first steamboat on the Ottawa River proper. Named the "Union," its launch marked the beginning of more than one hundred years of steam vessel use on the river. Over the course of the century, thousands of vessels, both steam-powered and otherwise, plied the Ottawa River. Some were retired or sold for use on other waters, but many sank and remain under the river's surface. Use this walk to find out more about twenty-two shipwrecks or wreck sites in the Ottawa area.
Accessing the tour
Scan the QR code with your phone or click here to access the walk through the Echoes.xyz mobile app, available on Google Play and the App Store. The tour is meant to be used along the Ottawa River Pathway/Trans-Canada Trail, though a static version with the same content is available under the 'Shipwrecks' tab above. The locations of twelve of these shipwrecks were found by the Underwater Society of Ottawa, while the rest come from research into the New Mills List, Parliament of Canada Sessional Papers, and other sources. This walking tour was created for HIST5706 at Carleton University.
Don't feel like walking?
That's okay.
Click here or on the 'Shipwrecks' tab in the top menu to view the shipwreck sites as static text with an attached audio file. Click the 'Play' icon to listen to the associated soundscape and have the text read aloud.