Welcome to the Welland Canals and Waters Project!
If you ride your bike around the eastern Niagara Peninsula, around the Welland Canal, you see things that make you think "Hmmmmm".
The Welland Canals and Waters Project records my amateur investigation into the current (Fourth) and historical (Second and Third) Welland Canals, and the nearby waters. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it!
If you ride your bike around the eastern Niagara Peninsula, around the Welland Canal, you see things that make you think "Hmmmmm".
The Welland Canals and Waters Project records my amateur investigation into the current (Fourth) and historical (Second and Third) Welland Canals, and the nearby waters. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it!
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Tom Garner
Niagara-on-the-Lake |
Organization
The Welland Canals and Waters story is told here in presentation format. The presentation instalments are summarized on this Home page, and presented on individual pages - you can navigate to these pages by clicking on the blue circle in the top right corner. Step through the presentations by hovering the cursor over the presentation image, and using the arrows. You can navigate pages using the blue circle at top right. Sorry, the print is pretty small on a phone... Also, where there are video clips, you may have to give the site time to buffer (this is a notorious Weebly problem).
You can also open in PDF version of the instalments from this page or the instalment pages (clicking on these links will not navigate you to the instalment pages). The PDF view is larger than the web view, which you might prefer (I do). If you open in PDF, please be patient - the files are large. If the file wants to be saved instead of opening, this is a browser setting you can change on your end. Of course if you wish to save, please do!
Evolution Log
- December 2021: Initial launch with five instalments - "The Allanburg Waters", "Beaverdams", "Sources and Uses", "The Dry Canal" and "The Second Welland Canal".
The Instalments
The Welland Canals and Waters story is told here in presentation format. The presentation instalments are summarized on this Home page, and presented on individual pages - you can navigate to these pages by clicking on the blue circle in the top right corner. Step through the presentations by hovering the cursor over the presentation image, and using the arrows. You can navigate pages using the blue circle at top right. Sorry, the print is pretty small on a phone... Also, where there are video clips, you may have to give the site time to buffer (this is a notorious Weebly problem).
You can also open in PDF version of the instalments from this page or the instalment pages (clicking on these links will not navigate you to the instalment pages). The PDF view is larger than the web view, which you might prefer (I do). If you open in PDF, please be patient - the files are large. If the file wants to be saved instead of opening, this is a browser setting you can change on your end. Of course if you wish to save, please do!
Evolution Log
- December 2021: Initial launch with five instalments - "The Allanburg Waters", "Beaverdams", "Sources and Uses", "The Dry Canal" and "The Second Welland Canal".
The Instalments
When you ride along the Canal Trail in Allanburg (about half way between Lakes Ontario and Erie), you see water leaving the canal - a lot of water. Where does it go, and why? How, when and why did this come to be?
Check out "The Allanburg Waters" for the answers to these questions!
Check out "The Allanburg Waters" for the answers to these questions!
In Thorold, there is a former village of Beaverdams. There is a Beaverdams Road east of the current canal, and a Beaverdams Road on the west side. During the War of 1812 - 1814, there was a Battle of Beaverdams (think Laura Secord). Where did this name come from? What's the history, what's the current situation and why?
The story is told in "Beaverdams".
The story is told in "Beaverdams".
Water moves through the Welland Canal, as it does through all canals. Where does the water in the Welland Canal come from, and how much? Where all is it used? What does this say about the current and historical purposes of the Welland Canal? The answers might surprise you!
It's all in "Sources and Uses"
It's all in "Sources and Uses"
Shipping on the Welland Canal shuts down for the winter. During this period, the canal is drained of water north of Lock 7 (which lifts the canal to its maximum elevation). What can you see when the water is gone?
All is revealed in "The Dry Canal"
All is revealed in "The Dry Canal"
The current Welland Canal is the "Fourth". What about the earlier canals? When were they built, and when were they taken out of service? What were the routes and elevations, and why?
"The Second Welland Canal" looks back to this canal. The story includes survey maps of the Second Canal dating back to the 1850s, placement on current maps, and lots of field photos.
Enjoy!
"The Second Welland Canal" looks back to this canal. The story includes survey maps of the Second Canal dating back to the 1850s, placement on current maps, and lots of field photos.
Enjoy!