St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada

The First Welland Canal 1824-1833

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 213 metres southwest 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 45 km 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.

Location. 43° 9.674′ N, 79° 14.128′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. Marker can be reached from Gale Crescent just south of Calvin Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. According to the directions provided on the Ontario's Historical Plaques website, this historical marker is located in the lowlands of a community park, not far from the foot of the stairs, south off Gale Crescent, east of Geneva Street, just north of Highway 406 (However, I couldn't

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.

find Geneva Street on my Google Map, Calvin Street, but not Geneva Street). Marker is in this post office area: St. Catharines, Ontario L2R, Canada.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Richard Pierpoint c.1744-c.1838 (approx. half a kilometer away); St. Paul Street United Church (approx. half a kilometer away); BME Church (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Harriet Tubman (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Harriet Ross Tubman c. 1820-1913 (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); a different marker also named Harriet Tubman (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); St. Catharines (approx. 0.7 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.

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 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

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.

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.)

Categories. • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels •

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.

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.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 521 times since then and 5 times this year. Last updated on August 2, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.