Labyrinth of labels – Glebe Annex street names
Fire insurance map: 1912 Ottawa Fire Insurance Map, showing Cambridge and part of Turner Street on the south side of Gladstone, before the southern portion was renamed Cambridge in 1923.
Source: Ottawa Fire Insurance Plans, 1912 (revised and reprinted June 1912), Chas. E. Goad, Montreal; Toronto
The jog of Cambridge Street at Gladstone, where what was once Turner Street (at the bottom) became Cambridge, even though the streets don’t completely align.
Photo: Sue Stefko
Labyrinth of labels – Glebe Annex street names
By Sue Stefko
In this installment of the street-name series, our look at the north-south streets in the Glebe Annex starts on Lebreton Street.
It was named after Captain John Le Breton, an army officer, farmer and mill-owner. Lebreton attained notoriety in 1820 after he bought land stretching from what is now Lebreton Flats along the Ottawa River down to Dow’s Swamp (now Dow’s Lake). The government planned to build a canal between the two bodies of water, largely for military purposes. Lebreton found out about the plan, then schemed to buy the property so he could sell it back to the government at an inflated price. Refusing to meet Lebreton’s demands, the government instead changed plans for the canal, avoiding his lands in favour of a longer and more costly route.
Cambridge Street went through different iterations before it evolved to its current name. Its origins were tied to the 1820 land deal described above. The street was originally called Sherwood, apparently named after Judge Levius P. Sherwood. Sherwood and LeBreton split the cost and the land – part of Sherwood’s share is now known as the Glebe Annex. (However, some surmise that the street was actually named after Edward Sherwood, a lawyer and registrar of the County of Carleton in the 1800s.)
Whichever Sherwood it was, the street name was officially changed to Turner in 1900, likely to avoid confusion with the already existing Sherwood Drive. The new name paid homage to Colonel Turner, a British officer who helped create the first Canadian militia units, an important step in creating a Canadian military force independent of the British. Colonel Turner’s daughter married into the Sherwood family.
In 1922, local residents wanted to change the street’s name, as the area had a reputation as being rough, and it was hard to sell real estate there. They requested it be called Richmond Avenue, but the City thought it would be confused with Richmond Road, so the board asked for another name. In 1923, the road was renamed Cambridge Street. It’s unclear why, but a number of Ottawa streets were named after towns in the United Kingdom, which may be the case here. Cambridge had long existed but stopped at Gladstone. Today there is still a jog at Gladstone where Cambridge is briefly interrupted.
Bell Street was named Lisgar until 1900, most likely after Lord Lisgar, Canada’s second Governor General, an Irish nobleman and lawyer. He was a strong supporter of a united Canada and promoted the concept of a national identity. After Mount Sherwood was annexed by the City of Ottawa, a name change was required to avoid duplication, given there was already another Lisgar. It is thought that Bell was named after Irish-born Robert Bell, the founder of the Bytown and Prescott Railway. He bought the Bytown Packet newspaper in 1849, changing its name to The Citizen in 1851.
Bronson Avenue was initially called Concession Street due to its role in land division. In the 18th and 19th centuries, concession roads served as dividing lines between land parcels and doubled as thoroughfares. This segment of Concession Street was the boundary of the City of Ottawa until Mount Sherwood was annexed in 1889. The name change to Bronson in 1905 was not without controversy. Local Alderman Davidson made the change without first getting the approval of a county judge. This step was mandated to avoid frivolous name changes, which had in the past caused confusion and unnecessary expense. However, by the time this omission came to light, many of the new signs were already up, so the City let it pass.
While the process was controversial, the new name itself seemed well-accepted. The street was named after Erskine Henry Bronson, a prominent American-born businessman. The Bronson family was key to Ottawa’s industrial development, especially relating to forest products and energy. Among his many accomplishments, Bronson was head of the Bronson and Weston Lumber Company (which was founded by his father), president of the Ottawa Power Company, and co-founder of the Standard Electric Light Company. He built a power generation station at Chaudière Falls and was president of the Upper Ottawa Improvement Company Ltd. He was also a philanthropist, supporting many churches and charities.
Sue Stefko is vice president of the Glebe Annex Community Association and a regular Glebe Report contributor.