The History of the Welland Canal

Many people with ancestors of the Old Counties of Lincoln/Welland can connect to their ancestral ties which date back to the development and building of the Welland Canal System.

The Welland Canal is a 43 km (27 mile) ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller to Port Colborne, its eight locks enable ships to ascend and descend the 99.5 meter (326 feet) elevation difference between the lakes, and bypass the 51 meter (167 ft.) Niagara Falls. Lock 7 in Thorold, Ontario, shown above, is the highest point of the canal system at 174.3 metres (572 feet) above sea level.
Check Ship Times for the Welland Canal
Links to other Resources:
Niagara Peninsula Branch, Ontario Ancestors
BoatNerd.com
Lock 3 Museum
Historic Welland Canals Mapping Project (HWCMP)
Marine Traffic
Friends of the Welland Canals
The Old Welland Canals Field Guide
Niagara’s Welland Canal
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welland_Canal

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