Fitzroy Harbour is a small village within the city of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in eastern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is located on the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

at the mouth of the Carp River. A branch of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, known as the Snye, also empties into the Ottawa to the west of the village.

Fitzroy Provincial Park Fitzroy Provincial Park is a provincial park on the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, designated as recreational-class by Ontario Parks. White pine covers much of the park. The park has century-old trees and a stand of 300-year-old bur oaks by the ...

is located nearby. The village has one school located within it, St. Michael's Catholic school. Fitzroy Harbour Public School was closed in 2006. There are also three churches: St Michael's (Catholic), St. George's (Anglican) and St. Andrew's (United).

History

The town was founded by Charles Shirreff in 1831. There was a waterfall known as

Chats Falls Chats Falls (in French: ''Chute des Chats'', meaning "Cat Falls") were a set of waterfalls on the Ottawa River, near Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario, and Quyon, Quebec, Canada. A hydroelectric generating station is now located here, owned and operat ...

on the river

, later replaced by a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power station and dam, currently operated by

Ontario Power Generation Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is w ...

By 1866, Fitzroy Harbour was a post village with a population of 200, within

Fitzroy Township Fitzroy is a former incorporated and present day geographic township originally part of Carleton County in eastern Ontario, Canada. Fitzroy was located in the western part of the county, bordered to the northeast by Torbolton Township, to the sou ...

, on the Ottawa river, at the head of the Duchesne lake navigation, on a small bay, dotted with islands. The Chats Falls, which form eleven falls, and plunge thirty-three feet is nearby. On the south side of the river, directly opposite the village, was the Government timber slide. The community had hydroelectric power, manufacturing, three churches, built of stone: the Church of England, the Canada Presbyterian church, and the Roman Catholic church. The Fourth Division Court was held here and at Riddle's Corners, alternately. The Loyal Orange Lodge, No. 541, met at thc Orange Hall, on the first Friday in each month.Ottawa City and counties of Carleton and Russell Directory, 1866-7 In 1974, Fitzroy Township was amalgamated with Huntley and Torbolton to form West Carleton. In 1977, the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre was constructed. This facility currently features a main hall and meeting rooms, two softball diamonds, soccer pitches, a playground and an outdoor rink. In 2001, West Carleton Township became part of the new City of

. The estimated population of the village in 2021 was 580.

References

External links

Fitzroy Harbour Community Association
{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Ottawa