Hard work, dedication to the task, and development of industry,
commerce, and community; these are the qualities that many Canadian
immigrants, past and present, have brought us. The story of
immigrant John Redpath is a story of success, driven by hard work,
dedication to task, and development of industry, commerce, and
John Redpath (1796-1869) was born in Scotland, during a period of
agricultural reform called the Lowland Clearances. The reforms
created economic hardship for the general populace, and at age 20,
Redpath emigrated to Canada. At Quebec City, penniless, he left his
ship, and walked to Montreal (a two-hour drive today), looking for
Montreal, Redpath found work as a stonemason, and within a few
years, had his own construction company. He soon joined his company
in a consortium to build a canal around the Lachine Rapids on the
St. Lawrence River, at Montreal.
Several attempts had been made, over more than 130 years, to bypass
the Lachine Rapids, and so, in 1825, the canal that Redpath and the
consortium built was a marvel; it allowed large vessels to sail up
the St. Lawrence River, and hastened the development of Upper
Following his success on the Lachine Canal, Redpath partnered with
Thomas McKay (another Scottish immigrant who settled in Montreal and
became a stonemason) to perform construction on the Rideau Canal.
They were to build a dam at Jones Falls, to assist in the creation
of a series of four
canal locks. For the time it was built (1826-1832), the Rideau Canal
itself was an engineering marvel, but the works at Jones Falls were,
and are today, the jewels in the crown of the Rideau.
Jones Falls, boats must rise/fall almost 60 feet; this is
accomplished by a set of four canal locks, and a dam, sometimes
called the Whispering Dam, which holds back the 60 feet of water.
This is the dam built by Redpath and McKay.
dam is approximately 360 feet long and 60 feet high, and is built of
large sandstone blocks cut at a nearby quarry, and hauled by
horse-team to the site. The blocks were ‘dressed’ (shaped) on site;
this work was precise, as no mortar or cement was used in this giant
dam; the blocks were set in a giant arch, with the pressure of the
water behind the dam pushing the perfectly-dressed blocks together,
much as Roman arches do in many well-known stone structures.
When completed (1832), the Jones Falls dam was the largest dam in
North America, a true marvel of engineering. But why is it called
the ‘Whispering Dam’? Well, if a person stands at one edge of the
dam, near the top, and another person stands at the other edge, the
two can talk quite well, over a distance of almost 360 feet. This is
a result of the shape of the dam, the Roman arch shape demanded of
the huge sandstone dam made with no mortar. The abnormal acoustics
were not designed; they were a delightful result of the design.
John Redpath worked on many other impressive structures, including
Notre Dame de Montreal Basilica (one of the most dramatic Basilicas
in the world), and a number of buildings that are now part of McGill
1854 Redpath created a sugar refinery in Montreal, a huge
development for early Canada. Prior to 1854 almost all sugar was
imported, and quality and price were constant
problems. With his refinery on the Montreal waterfront, Redpath
could import raw materials (often with his own ships) and process
them here. Redpath soon had a virtual monopoly on sugar; he soon
grew his refinery into first one, then two, giant works, which can
still be seen in Montreal today.
John Redpath became a recognized businessman, his investments and
influence helped develop a number of mining and resource industries
in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. In 1833 Redpath was invited to serve
on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Montreal, and served for 39
John Redpath was also a man of community and charity. He was a
member of Montreal City council, a director on the boards of many
charitable organizations, and a social reformer who supported the
law to abolish slavery in Canada (1833), and also worked to end
“White Slavery” (prostitution).
Redpath, a man of amazing skill and enterprise, who came to Canada
with almost no education and no money, was also the benefactor of
many educational efforts, including the first endowment fund
established for Montreal‘s McGill University.