Fitzroy Harbour is a small village within the city of
Ottawa 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 C ...
,
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 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 fl ...
, known as the Snye, also empties into the Ottawa to the west of the village.
Fitzroy Provincial Park 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 on the river
Ottawa River, later replaced by a
hydroelectric power station and dam, currently operated by
Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) is a Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is wholly owned by the governmen ...
.
![Fitzroy Harbour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Fitzroy_Harbour.jpg)
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
Ottawa.
The estimated population of the village in 2021 was 580.
References
External links
Fitzroy Harbour Community Association{{authority control
Neighbourhoods in Ottawa