The Rideau Canal

A pair of interdisciplinary Master’s student were tasked to develop a project that would represent a critical aspect of the Heritage Conservation field. Because of the strong connection the famous Herb Stovel had with the Heritage Conservation Program at the School of Canadian Studies, it was encouraged to use the newly created Herb Stovel Archives located at Carleton University.

 

Herb Stovel was a prominent member of the Heritage field not only in Canada, but also abroad. He had participated in various projects with ICOMOS, UNESCO, and Parks Canada to name only a few. Because of his work, he had accumulated countless records on the projects he had worked on throughout the years. After his passing, these documents were identified as valuable sources of information that could provide a behind-the-scenes view on the projects in which he had made a contribution; and this is what is now known as the Herb Stovel Archives.

 

In researching the archives, a variety of files relating to Cultural Heritage Landscapes were discovered, and as further research was done, it was obvious that most of these documents referred to the Corridor Cultural Landscape study conducted on the Rideau Canal; these included:

 

• Introduction to Project Proposal [Rideau Study]

• Development of A Framework for the Study of Cultural Landscapes and the Application of this Framework in A Study of the Cultural Landscape of the Rideau Canal Corridor

• Draft, An Evaluative Framework for Cultural Landscapes (Phase 1 of a Study of the Rideau Canal Corridor as a Cultural Landscape) 1994

• Education’s Draft of an Evaluative Framework for Cultural Landscapes (Phase 1 of a Study of the Rideau Canal Corridor as a Cultural Landscape) March 28, 1994 by Nora Mitchell, U.S. National Park Service

• Rideau Cultural Landscapes Project Archaeology

• Written Notes about the Rideau Canal and the Corridor Cultural Landscape Study, and

• Curriculum Vitae’s of professionals involved in the study.

 

Because of the information that was retrieved from the Herb Stovel Archives, the team determined that a project looking at the Corridor Cultural Landscape would be a good way to both integrate the archival information discovered, as well as using a major Heritage site in Canada’s capital.

 

In order to create a critical perspective to this project, it was determined that an analysis of the change along the Rideau Canal throughout the years would provide an insight into the evolution of the Corridor Cultural Landscapes. The section of the Rideau Canal selected for this project was between the Ottawa River and Mooney’s Bay, but more emphasis was placed on the section from the Bronson Street Bridge to the proposed Fifth Avenue Pedestrian Crossing Bridge, and focusing on the Lansdowne Park redevelopment site.