The Rideau Locks project, which began several weeks ago, is expected to be available to the general public in May 2012, according to Carleton Now.
The project’s goal is to show, through the online sphere, the general public the history of the construction of the canal and of the various people it may have influenced.
The team is working together to create an online exhibit that shows the history of the canal. It includes English professor Brian Greenspan, Carleton’s archivist Patti Harper, the Bytown Museum, and Stephen Fai, from the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism.
The construction of the Rideau Canal lasted over a span of 30 years.
“It went from a swamp to a city,” Fai said.
The online exhibition will show the general public how the Canal was built up over the years, and they plan to “bring this to life,” according to Greenspan.
The team wants to make the history of Canada’s everyday life interesting to the public just as it is to them.
Harper, who went to Scotland to retrieve more maps of the construction, said she was surprised by the amount of hand drawn maps of Colonel By Drive she found. Although there were a few items in Ottawa, the number of maps discovered in the United Kingdom proved to be impressive, Harper said via email.
Both Fai and Greenspan said they expect the project to do well, as the amount of information they have collected is vast.
Although the information is scattered throughout locations like Ottawa and Scotland, for example, they said they’re excited to see good results. With this new information, they will progress in making an online exhibition that will be visually and audibly appealing.
Although Fai said the time frame is slightly worrying for the team, the project seems to be running smoothly, and they are excited to see the outcome once it all comes together, he added.
