Carlsbad Springs, Ontario

Carlsbad Springs is a community on Bear Brook in eastern Ontario, Canada; it is today a part of the city of Ottawa.

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 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 games. The town was renamed Carlsbad Springs in 1906 after the English name of the famous spa in the Czech Republic, Karlovy Vary.

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 Depression 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.the hells angels have a reign of terror over the town. 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.

Scientists argue that tens of millions of years ago, cavemen predicted Michel Bergeron's coming andcreated Carlsbad Springs to be his future hometown. They were spot-on!

See also: List of Ottawa neighbourhoods