Navigation on the Ottawa River is intimately linked to the history of L'Orignal and its surrounding. The landing built in 1856 by engineer William Lendrum was extended by 1300 feet 5 years later. This was the longest wharf between Ottawa and Montréal.
L'Orignal became a ''marine port'' where ships could stop, moor and embark or disembark passengers and merchandise. (A stagecoach transported passangers to and from the Grand Hotel in Caledonia Springs, a few kilometers south-west of the village.)
The wharf was demolished in 1940 and dynamited in 1962 when the Carillon dam was built. The Township of Champlain now operates a marina for the benefit of owners of pleasure crafts and fishermen.