WWII, life on the Home Front

Three ads from the War Years, as published in the Ottawa Citizen —

August 5 1943

September 27 1944

Two ads depict women "working outside the home" while the men were off fighting overseas. 

I don't know how buying fresh green beans was supposed to help the war effort, but I'm sure it made sense at the time. 

Who Remembers the Next Ice Age?

Canadian Press, May 1959 — I reproduce this here for entertainment purposes only.

We should note that the article fosters the ongoing confusion between the terms "ice age" and "glaciation" in popular usage. We are in an ice age and have been for many millions of years. The last glacial period was the "Younger Dryas," between 12,800 and 11,700 years ago (not one million!) during which time Ottawa was buried under the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

the State of the Raj, 1909

the Ottawa Citizen, 1909-12-10 p5

from Wikipedia —

"Beginning in ancient India, the caste system was originally centered around varna, with Brahmins (priests) and, to a lesser extent, Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors) serving as the elite classes, followed by Vaishyas (traders and merchants) and finally Shudras (labourers). Outside of this system are the oppressed, marginalised, and persecuted Dalits (also known as "Untouchables") and Adivasis (tribals). Over time, the system became increasingly rigid, and the emergence of jati led to further entrenchment, introducing thousands of new castes and sub-castes. With the arrival of Islamic rule, caste-like distinctions were formulated in certain Muslim communities, primarily in North India. The British Raj furthered the system, through census classifications and preferential treatment to Christians and people belonging to certain castes. Social unrest during the 1920s led to a change in this policy towards affirmative action." [emphasis mine]

 

6 Hazel Street, Old Ottawa East

 The City Directories suggest that Hazel, at the north end of the Spenceville subdivision, was not built upon until c. 1908. The 1909 Directory lists #6 thus, giving Frederick Schelleter (a cook) as the head of household. The name is German. Ernest and Harry were Frederick's sons.

The History of Old Ottawa East website has a page devoted to the early presence of German settlers in the area.

Goad 1912 indicates a 2½-storey BV and makes note of the gambrel roofline.

39 Argyle Avenue, Golden Triangle, Ottawa

I took the photo last September — the perilous upper porch has since been removed, giving a much cleaner appearance.  #39 was built c. 1908, first occupant George R. Lowe, "Christian Scientist" — I didn't realize one could make a living doing that.

 

29 Argyle Avenue, Golden Triangle, Ottawa

 Built some time between 1908 and 1911 — first occupied by "Lewis, Hugh B clk accts br Dept Inland Rev" per the 1912 City Directory.

21 Hazel Street, Spenceville, Old Ottawa East

 

As with nearby 12 Hazel (previous post) my timeline resources are limited. Once again, we're looking at a quaint little stuccoed jobbie, most likely built at the end of WWII,  going by the earliest newspaper mention, again from 1946, mentioning an Emil Dagenais, steamfitter.

12 Hazel Street, Spenceville, Old Ottawa East

 What can I say? Sometimes you just come up empty-handed. It's small, it's stuccoed, and it was built some time been 1928 and 1948. In July of that latter year, someone at this address placed an ad for a used 1936 Plymouth "in fair condition."

The car would have looked something like this, perhaps less shiny.

Silver Fox Trimmed Coats

A. J. Freiman, November 1942

 

7 Mutchmor, Old Ottawa East

 A charming cottage in the "Batesville" section of OOE, apparently a WWII build — the first newspaper mention is a burglary report from August 1942 (a watch, valued at $80), then the home of Major Albert Browne, the likely first owner.

Browne died seven years later.

the Ottawa Citizen 

Hurdman Woods, a Touchstone Recovered

 potsherd, 1.5-2 cm

"flow blue" china saucer, likely English,

late Victorian to early 20th c.

This tiny relic caught my eye, poking up from the soil, while on a recent ramble through the southern parts of Hurdman Woods (that is to say the sherd was doing the poking and I the rambling. The Woods were just being themselves.)

I wanted to believe that my chip of china might have come from a 19th century farmstead midden, but given that the area served as municipal landfill from the late 1940s until the early 1960s, the latter, more prosaic origin story seems likely.

The low, sandy ground between the Hurdman and Billings Bridges was settled in the early to mid-19th century and farmed until shortly after WWII. Dumping on the south half of theacreage was approved in 1948 and continued until roughly 1960. I've drawn an orange line on this 2022 aerial photo show the northern extent of garbage dumping, while the blue 'X' marks the spot where I found my little sherd.

After garbage dumping ceased, the landfill site (extending south past the Alta Vista Hydro Corridor) was graded for parkland and passively rewilded. Around the same time, the hayfields which had continued to grow north of the orange line were acquired for snow-dumping — this began in the early '60s and continued through the '70s. During this time, the fields were a hideous, garbage-strewn waste-ground all summer long. In the early 1980s, the fields were allowed to rewild, apart from the creation of a huge artificial hill in the SE corner.

Now I don't know the official story of the hill, but I assume it to be made of soil excavated from the construction of many high-rise apartment buildings in the immediate area and possibly (heavily contaminated) soil from the Lees Avenue transit station. If the latter is present, it is likely buried under sandy silt taken from the east side of the Rideau River.

6a —sandy silt, silty sand, floodplains and the like

The 2-stage rewinding of the park area has created an odd juxtaposition of tree species in the woods. The older dump section was taken over by various tree types, but Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo) easily dominated. Given their weak, multi-branched growth habit, many of these were torn limb-for-limb during the Great Ice Storm of 1998.

North of the orange line, the former snow-dump was first populated by grasses such as Timothy, and various meadow legumes (Alfalfa, Red Clover, Sweetclover, Cow Vetch.) A stand of Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) soon established itself and and these tall, fast-growing trees continue to spread and flourish. Rows of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) line the bike path, and Wild Chervil, aka Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) has become common over the past decade after travelling up the Ottawa River from Montreal in the 1980s and '90s.

40 the Driveway, the Lamplighter Apartments, Golden Triangle

Forty the Driveway (now Queen Elizabeth Driveway), The Lamplighter, was completed in 1972. Ads first appeared in July of that year.

Ottawa Citizen, 1972-07-25

The building occupies an entire block, one of three in the Triangle that were demolished as part of a program of urban renewal / slum clearance enacted in the early to mid-1960s throughout the city.

In this 1958 aerial, we can see houses on the block that would become the apartment tower at 20 Driveway highlighted in red and those that would make way for the  Lamplighter coloured blue. The yellow building is the Capital Moving and Storage Co. warehouse. It would be demolished and replaced by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) headquarters.

From the ground, the original building looked like this —

In the 1990s, a row of townhouses (Cornerstone Private) would be shoehorned into the parking lot on the far side of the building. The three pine-trees in the foreground stand to this day, a bit taller than we see them here. Notice that ground to the left of the image is lower than that on right. This depression marks the remains of Neville's Creek, which ran into the Canal from the west — I've marked its former course in green on aerial view, though it was somewhat wider in spots.

Do take the time to read Urbsite's lovingly detailed history of "The Bend in the Deep Cut" here.

Mid-sixties Blandness

Ottawa Journal, 1965-07-30

I realize with horror that my parents owned that déclassé "Colonial Maple Settee" set (middle-left) going into the '70s — this was at a time when my mother's mental illness was becoming particularly severe.

As always, click on the image to view large.
 

137 Concord South, Old Ottawa East

137 Concord (no 'e') was built c. 1912, originally home to Edward Schelinske (spellings vary wildly), an engineer with the C.A.R. / Grand Trunk railway.

Once upon a time, Concord ran largely uninterrupted from the northern end of Archville, south to Springhurst, a distance of some 740 metres. In the mid-1960s, the right-of-way of the abandoned (above mentioned) railway (by that time part of the CN system) was appropriated for the construction of the Queensway ("the 417" as it's now usually called.) This made quite a mess.

In the 1965 aerial below, we can see all the sand and soil that's been dumped over the former rail-bed to create the roadbed and berms that would support the new freeway on its eastern approach to the city. No underpass was built at Concord (which I've coloured in green), so the road was severed in two — that's how we came have to Concord "North" and "South."

that look of haunted despair

 There are no listings for "Serviss" in the contemporary Directories. We do however find an Earl Service working as a mechanic at the Beamish Garage on Nepean Street.

The Mosgrove address was a tiny wooden house on the NW corner of Besserer, across the street from the Hop Sam Chinese laundry. It was demolished no later than 1932 and was eventually subsumed by the Rideau Centre. The north end of Mosgrove would become the Freiman Mall.

Re Denman's Drug Store — "DENMAN & MUNRO LIMITED, Ernest C Denman President. George R Munro Secretary-Treasurer, Druggists, Main store 180 Sparks, Branches 271 Dalhousie and 239½ Elgin" — 1923 City Directory.

As to the product being advertised, it was a powerful laxative, going by the list of active ingredients. Also, it says "laxative" right on the bottle.

135 Concord South, Old Ottawa East

 The City Directories indicate that #135 was built some time between 1912 and 1916, originally consisting of eight apartments and named "the Ermac," apparently for the Aylmer (Quebec) company that built it.

A Poker Hand in Every Pack

 the Ottawa Journal, 1926-05-11

495 Metcalfe, The Glebe, Ottawa

Built c. 1900, as the north end of The Glebe was beginning to take shape.

    Not listed in the 1899 Directory (and we don't have a copy of the 1900 edition.) 1901 shows Willian LeBreton Ross, a cashier for the C.A.R., living on the east side of Metcalfe south of Hickey, then the most southerly address.

Jane would be renamed Pretoria, Hickey would become Strathcona.

This Goad Plan shows the state of The Glebe north c. 1900, published 1901.. The position of the Ross house is marked with a red 'X'. It sits on the NE corner of Metcalfe and Cockburn (soon to be renamed Patterson.) Across the street we see the Metropolitan Athletic Grounds (boxed in orange.) Hickey/Strathcona will be extended east to Elgin, Elgin south of the C.A.R. tracks will become the Driveway, Inkerman will be extended west to O'Connor and become Monkland. 

Ottawa Journal, 1901-06-05

Four years later, W. L. Ross would sell his house to Mr. J. Kerr.

Ottawa Journal, 1905-09-30

In keeping with our name-changing theme, Lac Leman, where the "Absinthe Tragedy" occurred is now called  Lake Geneva.

the Painted Pony Abides

 Griffin Automotive, O'Connor at Isabella, February 2026

Ottawa Citizen, 2019-08-21

"First it was graffiti. Then it was art. Then it was graffiti again. Now it’s a bylaw infraction, with a threatened penalty and a looming deadline. This little blue pony has a lot to answer for ..."

Full story here.

Aerial photos show that the garage was built some time between 1958 and 1965, around the time that the railway tracks on the north side of Isabella were removed and replaced by the Queensway. I wonder if those are Hayley cinder blocks.

The original tag was as I recall, a Vespa — to give credit where credit is certainly due.

314 Montfort St., Vanier, Ottawa

 I wish I could say that I took this one myself, but I found it here — a total bonbon of a mid-century bungalow, listed as a "vacant" development property for half a million bugs Canadian. Earliest newspaper mentions are from 1950, I would have guessed a '45-'50 build.

Curiously, old aerial photos (1928) and top maps (1948) reveal that a flood-prone stream known as Cyrville Creek, passed directly in front of where this house would be built, literally cutting diagonally across the street on its way from Cyrville (obs) toward New Edinburgh, a drop of ~50 feet, from <250 to <200 per the a/m topo map.

A 1965 aerial view 314 Montfort (highlighted gold) captures something we seldom see any more — sheets drying on a clothesline. The aqua line shows the approximate course of Cyrville Creek prior to homebuilding.

An Ottawa Journal photo from April 7 1947 shows Cyrville Creek flooding Montreal Road. The creek crossed the road at the Granville/Lafontaine intersection.

Invest in Ottawa South

Ottawa Citizen, 1910-10-05

Ottawa Journal, 1911-09-29

OOE, plus a fair slice of OOS & The Glebe, 1879

Here's a little map I prepared this morning to help me understand the development history of Old Ottawa East. The base map is one of the Nepean plans from H. Belden's 1879 Atlas of Carleton County. Sorry about the wonky crop on the left margin, that's how the online version was scanned. As always, click on the image to view larger.

My intention here was to create a reference for lots and concessions in the area. Lots are lettered from F to M — don't ask me where Lot J disappeared to — as far a I can tell, it never existed. The red line running north to south divides Concession C from Concession D. Main Street follows the line south from the Canal.

Spenceville (named for the Reverend Alexander Spence, minister of St. Andrew’s from 1848 to 1867) was subdivided in 1869 on Lot H between Main and the Canal — all of Lot H was once church property. 

Note how the "Bates" property on Lot I west of Main has been subdivided into nine long, narrow strips for market farming, At this time I can't determine if the name in fact refers to the grocery and real estate magnate Henry Newell Bate. As Bate (no 's') had a wholesale warehouse on the Canal (where the NAC now stands, having canal-side farmland only two miles upstream would have been an ideal arrangement. Fresh produce from farm to table in 24 hours, all summer long!

Brantwood Place (subdivided 1913) was built on Lot I between Main and the Rideau River.

What is now the rear lot-line of homes on the north side of Eliot Avenue marked the official southern boundary of the Village of Ottawa East. These days the boundary between OOE and Old Ottawa South is usually considered to lie some 325 metres south, along a line defined by the curiously named Avenue Road.

On Lot K, east of Main, we see the locally famous Slattery Family farm, beef cattle and hogs a speciality.

1888-1889 Woodburn City Directory of Ottawa

Lot L between the Concession Line and Bank reveals the early development of Ottaws South in what is now Rideau Gardens.

On the west side of the Canal, we see part of the original Glebe neighbourhood, ignominiously labeled "HURCH PROPERTY."* That property extended west to Bronson Avenue. Eventually, properties reaching north to the Queensway and south to the east-west limb of the Rideau Canal would become part of "The Glebe" as we know it today.

*I'm sure you'll have figured that the intended word here was "church."

305 Waverley, the McIntosh Apartments, Centretown Ottawa

 This striking 6-unit building was built over the summer of 1927, replacing a 2½-storey latter 19th century BV. Ads first appeared in September of that year.

a snapshot from the Rinso Saga ...

 ... the Interbellum, early Great Depression, and life goes on. This ad for Rinso appeared in March of 1930, right around the time that the south end of Old Ottawa East (previous post) was getting the "this used to be farmland" treatment. I mention the Depression, but Ottawa, with its hefty percentage of CS workers, weathered that decade-long storm better than many other North American cities.

9 Mutchmor Rd., Old Ottawa East

A lovely "Storybook" cottage with catslide roofline, built some time between 1928 and 1932, first occupied by William George Ambridge, "clk Health of Animals Br Dept of Agric" (City Directory 1932) along with his wife Elizabeth.

An 1928 aerial photo of the south end of Old Ottawa East shows subdivided farmland in the process of being turned into suburbs. The location of 9 Mutchmor (here not yet built) is circled in red.

85 Frank St., Golden Triangle, Ottawa

 Built some time between 1901 and 1906 — likely first occupant F.C. Blair, who worked for the Immigration Department and occasionally hosted prayer meetings at his home. 

121 Frank St., Golden Triangle, Ottawa

 Built some time between 1923 and 1932 per the City Directories — Zillow gives 1930, which sounds about right to me. Note the high-waisted poured-concrete foundation and what could well be precast front steps. A prim, tidy piece of work.

112 Strathcona Ave., the Glebe, Ottawa

 One of the first houses built on Strathcona — the street didn't appear in the 1901 Directory, the house was listed for sale in April 1902. It was extended backward c. 2011, roughly doubling in size.

Ottawa Citizen, 1902-04-28

Ottawa Journal, 1903-12-29