Rideau Canal Locks and Bytown Museum

The story

Eight locks descend from the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River beside the former Commissariat Building, now the Bytown Museum. Colonel John By chose this ravine as the canal’s northern gateway in 1826, and the settlement that grew around the works became Bytown before taking the name Ottawa.\n\nThe lock flight still reads as one connected machine. Watching water move through its chambers makes the engineering easier to understand than studying one gate alone. The museum adds the stories of workers, families and communities, including dangerous labor by Irish, French Canadian and other canal builders.\n\nNavigation is seasonal, while the outdoor paths and museum follow separate conditions and hours. Check both sources before entering. Use Universal Gallery for documented objects and labels, then return outside to compare the exhibits with the stonework.