Christ Church Aylmer is Aylmer's oldest original church building. The church's foundation stone was laid in 1843. Our long history reflects the history of Aylmer itself. This page outlines the history of Aylmer and the church, starting in the 17th century.
The Ottawa Valley (Eastern Ontario and Western Québec, commonly called l’Outaouais) was an important trading route in the history of the development of Canada. Fur traders used the Ottawa River to get into the hinterland to trade for fur goods.
The Ottawa is an enormous river, once known as the Grand River, and called “Kitchissippi” or “Great River” by the Algonquins. It is named for the Ottawa people who lived in the Manitoulan Island area, and who were significant facilitators of the fur trade. "Ottawa" comes from the Algonquin word "Adawe" meaning "to trade" and originates from their role as traders even before contact with Europeans. Variations in this name include: Atawawa, Odawa, Outaouacs, Outaoua, Tawa, Tawaw, and Utawawea. The Ottawa became so important in the fur trade, that before 1670, it was common practice in Québec to call any Algonquin from the Great Lakes an Ottawa.
The present location of the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau was itself an important area for First Nations' trading for centuries, being at the confluence of three significant rivers: the Ottawa, the Rideau and the Gatineau.
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http://www.christchurchaylmer.ca/history.html