Carlsbad Springs, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Carlsbad Springs is a community on Bear Brook
in eastern Ontario
, Canada
; it is currently a part of the city of Ottawa
.
mayor C.W. Bangs formed the Dominion Springs Company to build a spa-hotel.
The spa-hotel allowed visitors to drink the mineral waters and bathe in the sulphur waters. Some of the water was also shipped and sold throughout North America. In 1882, the construction of a railway through the area brought travelers from a wider range of Ontario and Quebec towns.
In addition to the mineral springs and spa activities, hotel operators eventually provided a range of other leisure activities including guest lecturers, walking paths, horseback riding facilities, archery, billiards
, and lawn game
s. The town was renamed Carlsbad Springs in 1906 after the English name of the famous spa in the Czech Republic
, Karlovy Vary
.
of the 1930s, and by WWII, the resort and spa business dwindled. After the construction of major roads and bridges in the 1960s and 1970s, contamination of the springs meant that their water could no longer be used for drinking.
Carlsbad Springs still possessed a number of attractive natural features that would draw a new influx of activity. With the rapid growth of the city of Ottawa and its surrounding municipalities in the post-1960s era, areas beyond the Ottawa greenbelt that had formerly been entirely rural, such as Carlsbad Springs became an attractively-priced area for a modest level of residential development.
Areas such as Carlsbad Springs offered a range of amenities that were not available in the city, such as large natural lots with freshwater ponds, forested areas, and fields. Another attraction for city dwellers may have been that Carlsbad Springs' semi-rural setting enabled residents to undertake hobbies and activities that are not possible in the city, such as large-scale vegetable gardening, maple-sap collecting and processing, and cutting down trees for home heating purposes.
Franco-Ontarian culture has a dominant influence on the area, which can be seen in the French-language signs and in the active presence of spoken French in homes and community activities. In the wintertime, snowmobiling is both a well-loved Carlsbad Springs activity and a practical way of traveling throughout the area, as attested by the snowmobile trails that run alongside the areas' major roads.
In the mid-1990s, one of the remaining spring houses was restored, so that the community would be able to remember Carlsbad Springs' past as a bustling resort and spa area. As well, Carlsbad Springs continued to attract other development, including a large golf course that was built close to highway 417. When Carlsbad Springs was amalgamated into the City of Ottawa, there was a mixed response from the community. While some residents were pleased that city services such as bus transportation would be available, other residents were concerned that the City of Ottawa's urban bylaws and regulations would stifle the area's semi-rural lifestyle.
The long awaited new Community Centre for Carlsbad Springs is being built in the summer of 2010. The architect for the centre is the same one as the Shenkman Art Centre that was built in Orléans last year near the Orleans Town Centre. The new Carlsbad Springs Community Centre will have a gymnasium, a multi-purpose room, a meeting room, a small office and a lobby area. The centre will be able to accommodate a variety of events in the gymnasium, from private receptions to community events. Local recreational sports such as volleyball, basketball, badminton and others will be organized in the new recreational facility. Opening of the new centre is set for early 2011. Harkness Park, with its baseball field, a tennis court, a kids playground area, the new community centre and the surrounding facility will become the sports and leisure hub for the Carlsbad Springs community and rural east Ottawa. The official ground breaking ceremony for the new $3.2 million community centre in Carlsbad Springs was held June 13 at 3:30 p.m. Joining the Cumberland Councillor Rob Jellett for the ceremony was Ottawa-Orléans M.P. Royal Galipeau, Ottawa-Orléans M.P.P. Phil McNeely, Mayor Larry O’Brien, Joan Goyette, Carlsbad Springs Community Association's Communications Director and Community Association President Denis Labrèche. “This centre funded through the Federal, Provincial and Municipal infrastructure program is just what the doctor ordered for Carlsbad Springs,” says Jellett. “It will provide a gymnasium and meeting space for all sorts of community activities.” Full construction will start in July with the centre to open in early 2011.
Bear Brook (Ontario)
Bear Brook is a small creek in the Eastern Ontario region, mostly located within the municipal boundaries of Ottawa and Clarence–Rockland. It forms in the fields and forests just north of Edwards, and flows in a mostly eastern direction to its mouth in the South Nation River...
in eastern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; it is currently a part of the city of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Mineral Spa-Hotel Era: 1870–1930
This community outside of Canada's capital city of Ottawa was first known as Eastman's Springs. The community's initial name came from Danny Eastman, who built the first inn to lodge travelers from Ottawa who came by stagecoach or horse-and-buggy. In 1870, a group of businessmen which included future OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
mayor C.W. Bangs formed the Dominion Springs Company to build a spa-hotel.
The spa-hotel allowed visitors to drink the mineral waters and bathe in the sulphur waters. Some of the water was also shipped and sold throughout North America. In 1882, the construction of a railway through the area brought travelers from a wider range of Ontario and Quebec towns.
In addition to the mineral springs and spa activities, hotel operators eventually provided a range of other leisure activities including guest lecturers, walking paths, horseback riding facilities, archery, billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
, and lawn game
Lawn game
A lawn game is any outdoor game that can be played on a lawn. Many games that are traditionally played on a pitch are marketed as "lawn games" for home use in a front or back yard.Common lawn games include:*Horseshoes*Lawn darts*Croquet*Cornhole*Bocce...
s. The town was renamed Carlsbad Springs in 1906 after the English name of the famous spa in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
.
1930s–1970s
Although the resort and spa businesses helped the community to grow throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Carlsbad Springs' boom as an Eastern Ontario spa resort area came to an end during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s, and by WWII, the resort and spa business dwindled. After the construction of major roads and bridges in the 1960s and 1970s, contamination of the springs meant that their water could no longer be used for drinking.
Carlsbad Springs still possessed a number of attractive natural features that would draw a new influx of activity. With the rapid growth of the city of Ottawa and its surrounding municipalities in the post-1960s era, areas beyond the Ottawa greenbelt that had formerly been entirely rural, such as Carlsbad Springs became an attractively-priced area for a modest level of residential development.
Areas such as Carlsbad Springs offered a range of amenities that were not available in the city, such as large natural lots with freshwater ponds, forested areas, and fields. Another attraction for city dwellers may have been that Carlsbad Springs' semi-rural setting enabled residents to undertake hobbies and activities that are not possible in the city, such as large-scale vegetable gardening, maple-sap collecting and processing, and cutting down trees for home heating purposes.
1980s–present
As Carlsbad Springs was conveniently accessible from the main highway that runs through Ottawa (highway 417), it was attractive to commuters with jobs in the city. By the 1980s, gradual development took place in Carlsbad Springs, with modest homes on large, treed lots. Nonetheless, a semi-rural feel was maintained, due to the absence of subdivisions, and to the continued existence of a range of agricultural activities, ranging from berry-picking farms, horse-related businesses (e.g., equestrian boarding facilities), and hobby farms.Franco-Ontarian culture has a dominant influence on the area, which can be seen in the French-language signs and in the active presence of spoken French in homes and community activities. In the wintertime, snowmobiling is both a well-loved Carlsbad Springs activity and a practical way of traveling throughout the area, as attested by the snowmobile trails that run alongside the areas' major roads.
In the mid-1990s, one of the remaining spring houses was restored, so that the community would be able to remember Carlsbad Springs' past as a bustling resort and spa area. As well, Carlsbad Springs continued to attract other development, including a large golf course that was built close to highway 417. When Carlsbad Springs was amalgamated into the City of Ottawa, there was a mixed response from the community. While some residents were pleased that city services such as bus transportation would be available, other residents were concerned that the City of Ottawa's urban bylaws and regulations would stifle the area's semi-rural lifestyle.
The long awaited new Community Centre for Carlsbad Springs is being built in the summer of 2010. The architect for the centre is the same one as the Shenkman Art Centre that was built in Orléans last year near the Orleans Town Centre. The new Carlsbad Springs Community Centre will have a gymnasium, a multi-purpose room, a meeting room, a small office and a lobby area. The centre will be able to accommodate a variety of events in the gymnasium, from private receptions to community events. Local recreational sports such as volleyball, basketball, badminton and others will be organized in the new recreational facility. Opening of the new centre is set for early 2011. Harkness Park, with its baseball field, a tennis court, a kids playground area, the new community centre and the surrounding facility will become the sports and leisure hub for the Carlsbad Springs community and rural east Ottawa. The official ground breaking ceremony for the new $3.2 million community centre in Carlsbad Springs was held June 13 at 3:30 p.m. Joining the Cumberland Councillor Rob Jellett for the ceremony was Ottawa-Orléans M.P. Royal Galipeau, Ottawa-Orléans M.P.P. Phil McNeely, Mayor Larry O’Brien, Joan Goyette, Carlsbad Springs Community Association's Communications Director and Community Association President Denis Labrèche. “This centre funded through the Federal, Provincial and Municipal infrastructure program is just what the doctor ordered for Carlsbad Springs,” says Jellett. “It will provide a gymnasium and meeting space for all sorts of community activities.” Full construction will start in July with the centre to open in early 2011.