History of Burrit's Rapids
The original settlers of Burritt's Rapids were Stephen
Burritt, a United Empire Loyalist, and his brothers
Daniel and Edmund. The Burritt family came from an aristocraticWelsh
family, pioneering in the state of Vermont.
Stephen Burritt became the elected representative of
the Grenville riding for the 5th Parliament of Upper
Canada. He also opened the first Post Office in the
area in 1820. Daniel Burritt built the first sawmill,
producing lumber for the building of new houses, thereby
attracting more settlers to the area.
The Rideau Canal opened on May 29, 1832, and the village
prospered with heavy boat traffic between Ottawa and
Kingston. Many local residents helped in the construction
and rock for the stonework was quarried in this district.
The canal was cut in order to bypass the rapids, diverting
part of the Rideau. However, there was still enough
water rushing over the rapids to keep the mill wheels
turning.
A cheese factory was built in 1868 by William Kidd,
who developed the cheese industry with seven factories
between Burritt's Rapids and Ottawa. T.A. Kidd established
the General Store in 1841, where it remained until 1940.
Many businesses, mills and hotels flourished, and by
the mid 1870s, pleasure boats began to appear on the
canal. By the turn of the 20th century the pioneer lifestyle
was disappearing. Gradually, the canal was to become
the playground for pleasure boaters and cottagers and
the village was destined to become residential with
very little commercial life.
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