Recreational Rowing on the Ottawa River

By Sandra Milton

Once described as the greatest unknown river in the world, the Ottawa River has carried our country’s history for centuries. It transported Indigenous peoples before the first European explorers ventured into our country’s interior. It served as the delivery route for the fur and timber trade. It was critical for moving settlers to Baytown. It was one factor in Queen Victoria’s decision to choose Ottawa as a “safe haven” for the nation’s capital.

Now the Ottawa River flows on as one of the best spots to be during the summer months. Every day provides pleasure and adventure for the rowers, sailors, kayakers, boaters and tourists on cruise boats who use this magnificent river for recreational purposes. Down on Lady Grey Drive, the city’s oldest rowing club offers the opportunity to get onto the water and have fun while building a rowing skill.

Established in 1867, the Ottawa Rowing Club (ORC) was founded to offer a leisure activity for the growing middle class of the city. Initially located near the Rideau Canal under Parliament Hill, the rowing was not always in pristine conditions. Here club boats had to compete with the sawdust and logs from nearby lumber mills always present in the water. John A. Macdonald, the first patron of the ORC, had an office in the East Block in June 1871 when he noted in a letter: “the sight of immense masses of timber passing my window every morning.”

On at least one occasion, the ORC was forced to decline an invitation to host the Canadian Oarsmen Regatta, citing a bad course on the Ottawa River as one reason.

The ORC now has a heritage-designated club house. Constructed around 1898 on a prominent location on the Ottawa River edge of Lowertown, the club and its activities attracted local residents as spectators, employees and members. Two Lowertown men had key roles in the early years. In 1903, Pierre Tremblay, a carpenter, moved his family from St. Andrew Street to take the job as  the club’s caretaker. In 1953, Pete (Pierre) Tremblay was recognized for his 50 years as boatman at the club. Leo Venne was a young man living in the family home on Cathcart Street when he joined the ORC. Here he became coxswain, guiding one of the ORC’s most successful eights.

The ORC offers the chance to enjoy travelling on the river and seeing our local environment in a special way. Think of gliding along on a misty morning passing under the steep rise of Parliament Hill and close to the tumbling Rideau Falls, all the while learning new skills and building physical endurance. What a great way to travel!

Sandra Milton is a Lowertown resident and a member of the Ottawa Rowing Club.