<P> The Timber trade spurred the growth of Bytown, and it saw an influx of immigrants, and later entrepreneurs hoping to profit from the squared timber that would be floated down the Ottawa River to Quebec . Bytown had seen some trouble in the early days, first with the Shiners' War in 1835 to 1845, and the Stony Monday Riot in 1849 . </P> <P> The St Lawrence and Ottawa Railway and Bytown and Prescott Railway linked the town to the outside world in 1854, after a lot of expense and later huge losses by the city . Bytown, now no longer a town, was renamed and the City of Ottawa was incorporated seven days later on January 1, 1855 . Though the suggestion to give the city an aboriginal name had been published as early as 1844, Mayor Turgeon and Municipal Council proposed the name Ottawa to mark the 200th anniversary of the Ottawa people employing the river once again to come to Montreal for trade reasons . The river had been unused for about 5 years for fear of attack but a 1654 truce with the Iroquois allowed its reuse . While the event itself was not highly significant, it gave the name a historical context . </P> <P> In 1841, Upper Canada ceased to exist as present - day southern Quebec joined present - day southern Ontario in the Province of Canada . The capital of Upper Canada had alternated between several cities for a while, and in 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to choose a more permanent location . Among the influences of her decision were defence concerns, as well as a location that would be somewhat centralized, and she chose Ottawa (see: History of Parliament Hill). </P> <P> The Ottawa Citizen newspaper was established in 1844, known originally as the By town Packet . </P>

When did ottawa become the capital of canada