St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The St. Lawrence Seaway

Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell

1. The St. Lawrence Seaway Marker

Inscription.

The St. Lawrence Seaway. . , For more on the history of the Welland Canals, please visit our galleries inside the Museum. , The Great Lakes: Our Fresh Water Seas , The Welland Ship Canal is one of Canada's foremost examples of engineering and a product of over 200 years of history. It is an international waterway, with concrete locks, raising ships 99 meters or 326 feet between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The Canal, along with the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Superior, opening up the Great Lakes to international trade., Photo: , Peace Tower, Ottawa 98m / 321ft , Statue of Liberty, New York, USA 93m / 306ft , Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls 51m / 167ft , The total lift of the Welland Canal (99.5m / 326.5 ft) is comparable to the height of the Peace Tower, the front of Canada's famous Parliament Buildings, the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and Niagara Falls in Canada , Where is it going and what is it carrying? , Ships plying the Great Lakes carry a wide variety of goods and bulk cargo to a variety of ports. Ships travelling up-bound can be seen carrying windmill blades for wind farm projects in Ontario and the United States. Ships travelling down-bound can be seen carrying bulk cargo from the west, like grain, headed for international markets. , The Welland Canal sees approximately three-thousand transits per season and is open 24 hours a day, from late-March through to late-December. , [Sample cargos:] , Ore: Iron Ore, Bauxite, Coal, Salt, Gravel , Project Cargo: Windmill Blades, Concrete, Shipping Containers , Grain: Wheat, Corn, Soy , Fuel: Natural Gas, Butane , Ships you may see , There are many types of ships that transit the Welland Canal. Lakers usually remain on the Great Lakes, connecting ports of call such as Thunder Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, and many more. Most of these ships are bulk carriers or tankers., Photo: , Salties, which are designed with bulbous bows to break ocean waves, have opened the Great Lakes to international shipping by bringing goods through the St. Lawrence Seaway to global markets. The average length of a saltie is approximately 185m / 607ft, Lakers usually remain on the Great Lakes, connecting ports of call such as Thunder Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, and many more. Average length of a laker is approximately 222m / 728 ft

For more on the history of the Welland Canals, please visit our galleries inside the Museum.

The Great Lakes: Our Fresh Water Seas
The Welland Ship Canal is one of Canada's foremost examples of engineering and a product of over 200 years of history. It is an international waterway, with concrete locks, raising ships 99 meters or 326 feet between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The Canal, along with the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Superior, opening up the Great Lakes to international trade.

Photo:
Peace Tower, Ottawa 98m / 321ft
Statue of Liberty, New York, USA 93m / 306ft
Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls 51m / 167ft
The total lift of the Welland Canal (99.5m / 326.5 ft) is comparable to the height of the Peace Tower, the front of Canada's famous Parliament Buildings, the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and Niagara Falls in Canada

Where is it going and what is it carrying?
Ships plying the Great Lakes carry a wide variety of goods and bulk cargo to a variety of ports. Ships travelling up-bound can be seen carrying windmill blades for wind farm projects in Ontario and the United States. Ships travelling down-bound can be seen carrying bulk cargo from the west, like grain, headed for international markets.

The Welland Canal sees approximately

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three-thousand transits per season and is open 24 hours a day, from late-March through to late-December.

[Sample cargos:]
Ore: Iron Ore, Bauxite, Coal, Salt, Gravel
Project Cargo: Windmill Blades, Concrete, Shipping Containers
Grain: Wheat, Corn, Soy
Fuel: Natural Gas, Butane

Ships you may see
There are many types of ships that transit the Welland Canal. Lakers usually remain on the Great Lakes, connecting ports of call such as Thunder Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, and many more. Most of these ships are bulk carriers or tankers.

Photo:
Salties, which are designed with bulbous bows to break ocean waves, have opened the Great Lakes to international shipping by bringing goods through the St. Lawrence Seaway to global markets. The average length of a saltie is approximately 185m / 607ft

Lakers usually remain on the Great Lakes, connecting ports of call such as Thunder Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, and many more. Average length of a laker is approximately 222m / 728 ft

Erected by St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels

Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell

2. The St. Lawrence Seaway Marker

. In addition, it is included in the The Welland Canals series list.

Location. 43° 9.355′ N, 79° 11.634′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is on Welland Canals Parkway, on the right when traveling north. The marker is at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre, on the outdoor observation platform overlooking Lock 3. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1932 Welland Canals Pkwy, St Catharines ON L2R 7K6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

and in Niagara Canada.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: How It Works: Locking Through (here, next to this marker); How it Works: Operations and Safety (here, next to this marker); Welland Ship Canal (a few steps from this marker); William Hamilton Merritt 1793 - 1862 (a few steps from this marker); Global Irish Famine Way (a few steps from this marker); The Fourth Welland Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); Bollard (within shouting distance of this marker); Early Welland Canals (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 8, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on September 5, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 8, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.