The First Welland Canal 1824-1833

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012

1. The First Welland Canal 1824-1833 Marker

Inscription. Lock number 6 of the original Welland Canal lies in the adjacent watercourse about 700 feet south-west of here. This first or "wooden" canal, constructed 1824-33 by the Welland Canal Company, ran from Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario to Port Colborne on Lake Erie. William Hamilton Merritt was its chief promoter. With the opening of the canal as far as Port Robinson in 1829, lake boats reached Lake Erie via the Welland and Niagara Rivers. When completed in 1833, the 28-mile canal enabled vessels to pass directly from lake to lake through 40 small timbered locks. In 1841 the Province of Canada took full control of the canal from its private owners.

Erected by Archaeological and Historic Sites Board, Archives of Ontario.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust, and the The Welland Canals series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 43° 9.676′ N, 79° 14.13′ W. Marker was in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It could be reached from Gale Crescent just south of Calvin Street, on

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the right when traveling east. The marker is within Richard Pierpoint Park (formerly Centennial Park), 15 steps south of the tee for disc-golf tee #7. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 29 Gale Crescent, St Catharines ON L2R 3K8, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

and in Niagara Canada.

It was also in Central Canada.

Globally, it was in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found 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 location: Richard Pierpoint c.1744-c.1838 (approx. half a kilometer away); St. Paul Street United Church (approx. half a kilometer away); Wood-Graham-Bacher Home (approx. half a kilometer away); Salem Chapel BME Church - Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Site (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The British Methodist Episcopal Church circa 1855 (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Harriet Tubman (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Harriet Ross Tubman c. 1820-1913 (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913) (approx. 0.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.

Another marker is no longer nearby. BME Church (was approx. 0.6 kilometers away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. I used a different route to see this historical marker. I parked my vehicle off of Oakdale Avenue, by the Richard Pierpoint c.1744-c.1838 historical marker, and then walked northwest along the trail (Merritt Trail) until I reached the historical marker, following a waterway that I believe

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012

2. The First Welland Canal 1824-1833 Marker

View looking northeast of the historical marker, with the park walking path (Merritt Trail) in the immediate background and on the ridge above the marker is the street Gale Crescent.

to be a remnant of the Old Welland Canal.

Also see . . .
1. The Old Welland Canals Field Guide. This is a link to information provided by the oldwellandcanals website. (Submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

2. Abandoned Ontario: the old Welland Canals. This is a link to information provided by the SkyscraperCity website. (Submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

3. Welland Canal. This is a link to information provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012

3. The First Welland Canal 1824-1833 Marker

View of the historical marker, looking southwest, along the park walking path and along the waterway (following the willow trees to the left of the trail) that I believe is the old Welland Canal.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012

4. The First Welland Canal 1824-1833 Marker

View of the historical marker, looking northeast, along the park walking path and along the waterway (following the tree line to the right of the trail) that I believe is the old Welland Canal.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012

5. The First Welland Canal 1824-1833 Marker

A distant view of the historical marker, looking southwest, along the park walking path and along the waterway (following the willow trees to the left of the trail) that I believe is the old Welland Canal.

Concrete base... image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, September 4, 2025

6. Concrete base...

Someone cut through the post with a hacksaw! House keys for scale, the post was somewhere around 1.75"

Post and sign are missing! image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, September 4, 2025

7. Post and sign are missing!

Compare to picture #2. The concrete base (for the missing post and marker) is in front of the front wheel. Same retaining wall in back, same park bench, same OTHER park bench at the far, right end of the oval. (In 2025, totem pole is in the shop for a refit; coming back soon.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,109 times since then and 25 times this year. Last updated on September 3, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 6, 7. submitted on September 4, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.