/ #parliament hill #postcards 

Postcards from Old Ottawa: The Lover's Walk (first in a series)

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting scans of some old Ottawa postcards that I found at the annual Ottawa Nostalgia and Collectible Show yesterday at the Nepean Sportsplex.  The postcards date back to the early 20th century, and show some of Ottawa’s tourism hotspots from the era.

Here’s a look at “The Lovers' Walk”, a pathway that used to exist about halfway up the back of Parliament Hill.  The postcard is postmarked October 31, 1909.

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](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/postcard_loverswalk.jpg)

There’s a good history of this lost tourist attraction on Urbsite .  Here’s a description from an 1880’s publication about Ottawa:

"About half a mile in length, around the face of the bold bluff or cliff, shaded by trees of great beauty and covered with a thick growth of verdure, is one of the most delightful sylvan retreats imaginable. It is a secluded walk, and a favourite promenade, where lovers of Nature, as well as those of the “spoony” type are wont to congregate."

** Next week: ** A postcard of Major’s Hill Park from 1914.

** See also: ** Ottawa History Guide

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