| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Route description: Tay River
- Posted by
- cmkl
- Date posted
- Apr 5, 2003
- Date last travelled
You should refer to map 31 C/6. Since it is early in the season, the water will probably be too cold. There are no particularly good places to swim. The area is very marshy.
Getting There
Take the Queensway through Kanata. When it forks, follow Highway 7 to the South. Continue along Highway 7, crossing the Mississippi River at Carleton Place and again at Innisville, and continue on to Perth. The road cuts to the North of the town. Turn left to go through the centre of the town on Gore Street. As you pass the town hall, turn left onto Basin Street. Immediately in front of you is a parking lot and a good boat launching facility. The artificial widening of the river allows small boats to turn around. Perth is the head of navigation of the Tay River and the western end of the Tay Canal.
History
Perth has an interesting and varied history. It is the second largest town on the Rideau waterway (after Smiths Falls) between Ottawa and Kingston. The first Scottish settlers arrived in 1816. Retired military officers originally governed the settlement. In 1833 the town was the scene of one of the last duels fought in Canada. In 1892, Perth produced "The Big Cheese", weighing eleven tons, to publicize the local dairy products industry at the Chicago World's Fair. A concrete replica lies just outside town on Highway 7.
The Tay River originates to the west and south of Perth. It flows through the town and finally empties into the Rideau River southwest of Smiths Falls. At this point, the Tay intersects the main channel of the Rideau Canal. The original objective of the Rideau Canal was to provide a safe, unexposed route from Montreal to Lake Ontario. The War of 1812 had made British North America highly suspicious of American motives, and it saw a need to provide military vessels with a secure passage. Since the Tay River was only a tributary of the main channel, it offered little in terms of a safe Montreal-Kingston route. The original builders ignored it altogether, much to the chagrin of Perth residents.
Construction of the Rideau Canal began in 1826 and lasted until 1832. The townspeople of Perth felt isolated and decided to seek a link with the Rideau Canal. In 1830, local promoters established the Tay Navigation Company to build the connection. Excavation was minimal and the canal required only four small locks. It was completed by 1834. Although there were several attempts to launch steamboat services, the shallow draught made these operations infeasible. The canal did, however, carry large quantities of squared timbers from sawmills at Perth. The limited toll revenues were too small to finance regular maintenance, and the small enterprise failed. The Federal Government took over the property in 1886 and dredged the channel to the depth of the Rideau Canal. It replaced the small locks with new structures at Beveridge Locks. The new canal was christened "Haggart's Ditch" after the Hon. John G. Haggart, Minister of Railways and Canals.
On the Water
From the turning basin, paddle east (downstream) under several bridges. Just after the turning basin, you will see a stream coming in on your left. This is a branch of the Tay River. At Perth, the river forks into two separate channels.
Continue east along the Tay. The tree-lined channel here was dredged to provide a depth of five feet. There are long mounds covered with vegetation beside the channel where the dredged material was deposited. Be careful if you leave the channel. There are many shallow areas. Much of the dredging residue was simply dumped in shallow water at the side of the channel.
Along the route, you may see turtles sunning on logs in quiet backwaters. These are mostly eastern painted turtles, a type common in the weedy, still waters of southern Ontario. They are usually seen on a cool, sunny day. The day should be cool enough so that they must lie in the sun to maintain the body temperature. Snapping turtles are also common but are more secretive. This is also fine water snake country. You may see them swimming in the shallow water. They sun on the shore, but will dive into the water if startled. If you are walking along the bank and hear a sudden load plop, it was probably a water snake. Redwing blackbirds are common in the marsh and you may also see a great blue heron.
After a few miles, you will pass an old stone house on the north bank. Buildings of this style are common along the Rideau Canal. Colonel By relied extensively on Scottish stone masons to build the locks and dams. After the canal was complete, each worker was given land to farm. Most built their houses out of stone using the same techniques used for the canal. On the north side, the small red triangles mark the Rideau Trail, connecting Ottawa and Kingston.
After a few miles, you will get to the Tay Marsh. This is a large, shallow basin of water. When the government deepened the Tay Canal, it built a dam at Port Elmsley. This impounded a wide sheet of water of sufficient depth to flood some of the original locks and allow clear sailing up to Perth. The route through the marsh follows a twisting path flanked by dense bulrushes. The original Tay River passes over the dam and follows a narrow channel into Big Rideau Lake. The canal occupies a straight, narrow artificial passage to Beveridge Locks.
As you enter the Tay Marsh, there is a good place to stop. A wooden tower on the south side offers an excellent view of the marsh It can be interesting to explore the nearby marsh by canoe. There is a maze of narrow channels winding through the sea of bulrushes. It can be easy to get lost.
Continue through the marsh, following the buoys. Paddle along the narrow artificial channel to Beveridge Locks. There are good places to stop by the locks. After you've seen enough, return to Perth.
There are other interesting options. For example, you could put the canoes in at the bridge for Jebb's Creek on the
Perth-Rideau Ferry road. This is especially easy in the spring, when the water level in Jebb's Creek is high. The creek will take you into the Beveridge Marsh, immediately next to the observation platform. Beveridge's Lock is another possible put-in spot.
