1920’s Ottawa Canada’s Capital vintage booklet Dominion Parliment cover photo 6×9, 32-pages, some color printing with gold foils stamped cover –Photographs with information on the city’s history and many popular attractions From the Simpson Book Collection-Ed and Shirley’s Simpson –Historic Books — the List
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process
The view shows the carding mill, planing mill and cheese factory.
BY JANICE KENNEDY– 2008– What did you do? I spent a perfectly languid summer day doing perfectly languid summertime things getting out of town, enjoying the scenery, strolling, nibbling and browsing. Could you be a little more specific? Sure. I went to Pakenham, part of greater “Mississippi Mills.” The little village on the Ottawa Valley version of the Mississippi River is barely more than a half-hour from downtown Ottawa, so it’s a drive-in-the-country destination that doesn’t impoverish you at the gas pump. Why Pakenham? There are lots of little villages around Ottawa, aren’t there? There are indeed, many of them certainly worth a daytrip. But what’s appealing about Pakenham, besides the proximity and prettiness of the place, is its ambience.
Some visitors might call it sleepy and it does seem to be the antithesis of bustling but I prefer to think of it as laid-back. A visit to Pakenham is an undeniably leisurely affair. Is that code for “leave the kids at home?” Maybe. What I like about Pakenham is the opposite of what appeals to my two young grandsons, whose tastes run more to water parks and go-kart tracks. If you don’t count the ice cream, Pakenham’s attractions tend to be more adult-oriented. Tell me about them. The village is both attractive and historic. At nearly 200 years old, it seems to have a settled sense of self.
Many of the houses some of them meticulously restored or maintained with their original character reflect the 19th-century love of Regency and Classic Revival architectural styles. In fact, if your interests run that way, you can take a detailed historical walking tour of Pakenham, guided by a helpful little pamphlet available free at most village businesses.
Dating back to the 1840s, Pakenham’s general store is thought to be the oldest continually operated general store on the continent. With everything from fresh baked goods to brass beds, it’s a great place to browse. What’s the highlight? Pakenham’s landmark is The Bridge. If you come by way of Kinburn Side Road, the exit you take from Highway 417, you enter the village by way of its famous stone bridge (“the only five-arch stone bridge in North -America,” tourist literature boasts). It’s an impressive structure, built in 1901 with locally cruarried stone cut in the squared look of the time, suggesting solidity and endurance. Small riverside parks by the bridge allow you to get a good look at the five sturdy spans and, on the north side, to listen to the rushing burble of the water over what is called Little Falls.
Pakenham’s century-old bridge is the only five-arch stone span bridge in North America. Then there is 5 Span Feed and Seed (“We feed your needs”). Besides agricultural and cottage supplies, 5 Span also sells outdoor clothing and local maple syrup appropriately, since Pakenham is in Lanark County, the heart of Ontario maple country. Which reminds me: A visit to Pakenham could happily accommodate a short jaunt to Fulton’s, the sugar bush just a few minutes outside town (directions at fultons.ca). Sounds wonderful, but aren’t you forgetting something?
Did you not mention Ice cream? I certainly did. Summertime’s easy livin’ , should always include at least one afternoon stroll by the river or in this case, relaxation on one of the park benches near the landmark bridge to contemplate the flow of the Mississippi a homemade waffle cone in hand filled with the smooth, cool glories of ice cream. In Pakenham, you can get your dose of frozen decadence at Scoop’s (111 Waba, just off the main street) or at the General Store. Either way, it’s a short walk to the river.
OK, I confess. Right next to the feed and seed suppliers, a small stand operated by local Cedar Hill Berry Farm was selling red, ripe and irresistible fresh strawberries. With visions of shortcake dancing in my head, I picked up a litre and doubled back to Watt’s Cooking? for a package of fresh tea biscuits (not quite shortcake, but close enough). That evening, in little more time than it takes to whip up a bowl of cream, we had our glorious old-fashioned summer dessert thanks to our Pakenham daytrip. I guess you could call that a sweet ending to a pretty sweet day? I guess you could, although it also made for a sweet beginning the next morning.
This was written inThe Ottawa Citizen==Ottawa, Ontario, Canada26 Jul 2008, Sat • Page 64
Thanks to Paige Wattie these belonged to her mother. She was Margie Argue- from Pakenham-
Found some ‘vintage’ brochures of Lanark County biway tours… thought you might be interested (sorry for the quality, one was obviously used for a project of some sort–Can’t tell the date they’re from… possibly ’72 or ‘75
Today is Part 2 in a new series called Armchair Tourism in Carleton Place. We have a great town and we need to explore it. What if somebody comes from out of town and asks you what they can do in Carleton Place? We, as a collective group of Citizens, need to keep on top of this and spread the history about the folks and our beautiful locations in our town that keep the wheels going round.
If you have anything to add, or places that should be in this series, then please tell me so we can write about it.
Today, let’s bring our family, friends and tourists to Riverside Park
On your way to Riverside Park at the end of Lake Ave West drop into The Old Towne Bakery at 73 Lake Ave West to buy freshly made sandwiches, and big cookies. Or choose from one of their many special sweet treats, or buy some fresh bread to make sandwiches.
You can hear the call of the wild already from Cathy on your way to Riverside Park.
Once upon a time Riverside Park at the end of Lake Ave West was an iconic Carleton Place waterfront location that was once the home to the Caldwell Sawmill and then horse shows that people from all over Lanark County came to participate in. It once housed a grandstand for the visiting circuses and it was THE place to be.
Now the Riverside Park is a tranquil place where the air is cooler, and the beams of sunlight peak through the trees. On the weekends you can hear the laughter of small children running about on the play structures, the bark of a dog in the distance, and the scraping sound of a jogger’s sneakers. There young and older couples and families are having a picnic under a shady tree, and it is great park to spend time with the family near the rivers edge.
Did you know you can “dock & walk” in Downtown Carleton Place?
You can travel by water to Carleton Place’s downtown from the public boat launch at the west end of Lake Avenue, public docking at Riverside Park OR across from the Town Hall on Bridge Street.—-Downtown Carleton Place BIA