Welland Canal - Port Colborne

Historic
NIAGARA’S SOUTH COAST
Welland Canal
History of the Welland Canal in Port Colborne
Uncharted
Unexpected
www.PortColborne.ca
The Welland Canal was originally established as solution
to summer water shortages that plagued a grist mill operation
near St. Catharines. In the early 1800s, the mill’s owner, William
Hamilton Merritt, was searching for a new water supply at a
higher elevation when he discovered the Welland River on the
brow of the Niagara Escarpment. He was determined to divert
this water supply into Twelve Mile Creek and thereby end his
seasonal water problem. Merritt also had the idea of creating
a deep enough channel to allow boats to pass through a series
of locks down the escarpment into Twelve Mile Creek and on to
Lake Ontario.
In 1829 “Mr. Merritt’s ditch” was completed from Port Dalhousie
on Lake Ontario to the summit of the escarpment at Port
Robinson. From there, boats travelled down into the Welland
River and on to Lake Erie via the upper Niagara River. The long
route proved to be too time consuming and dangerous. As a
result, in 1833 an extension of the canal was completed from the
junction of a “feeder canal” at Welland through to Gravelly Bay,
present-day Port Colborne.
The canal was enlarged and widened in the 1850s and again in
the 1880s. By the turn of the 20th century it was determined
that a new, larger canal was required. Construction of the Port
Colborne section of the Welland Canal began in 1924, 100 years
after the initial construction of Merritt’s original canal. The new
Welland Canal was opened August 6, 1932.
Due to a shortage of funds, the first Welland Canal utilized
wooden locks. There were 40 such locks constructed with Lock
40 at Port Colborne being the southernmost. Lock 40 was located
adjacent to West Street at the junction of Sugarloaf Street.
Two buildings from the first canal era still exist in their original
locations: the Lakeview Hotel (62 West St.) and the Locktender’s
House (corner of Sugarloaf and King Streets), also known as the
“Stone House.” Both buildings were constructed circa 1835.
Lighthouses & Breakwater
The first lighthouse in Port Colborne was built in the 1830s, shortly
after the Welland Canal was extended to Lake Erie. Since then, the
entrance to the canal has been reconfigured several times, which
has made it necessary for new lighthouses to be built to continue
Port Colborne inner range lighthouse, built in 1903.
providing a navigational beacon for ships entering the canal.
At present, Port Colborne has two lighthouses on the western
breakwater in Gravelly Bay. The inner range light was built in 1903
consisting of a three-storey white concrete tower topped with a red
parapet and lantern room. A large utility building is attached to it.
The outer range light was built in 1928 when an older range light
further inland was torn down. The new lighthouse is a one-anda-half storey white concrete structure that is square in shape. It is
topped with a red parapet and lantern room and also houses Port
Colborne’s fog horn. On the eastern side of the canal entrance, ships
are guided by beacons atop two modern, concrete towers.
The Gravelly Bay break water protects Gravelly Bay and the entrance
of the canal from rough water when there are storms over Lake
Erie. It also protects from icedams in the winter. The wall is over 1.3
kilometres in length and is ‘Y’ shaped. It was originally constructed
in 1873, with extensions added in 1931.
View of old locks and lift bridges from post card, circa 1930.
Image courtesy of Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum
Port Colborne outer range lighthouse, built in 1928.
West Street Viewing Platform
A viewing platform is located near the corner of West Street and
Sugarloaf Street, where Lock 40 was once located. Lock 40 was the
first lock on the canal when entering from Lake Erie. It was built in
the early 1830s and removed during subsequent expansions of the
canal. The viewing platform is the only vantage point along the entire
Welland Canals Corridor to see remnants of all four Welland Canals.
Along the west wall of the canal is the location of the channel of the
first Welland Canal, then the locks of the second and third canals,
and the inner harbour of the fourth or current Welland Canal.
first, second, and third Welland Canals. East Street was considered
to be the centre of commerce for Port Colborne up until the end of
the First World War. During the construction of the fourth Welland
Canal, East Street and its buildings were torn down and the ground
excavated to make way for the present shipping channel that flows
under Bridge 21.
Locks 26 & 27
The locks of the second and third canal exist side-by-side near the
Clarence Street Bridge. Lock 27 of the second Welland Canal is
closest to West Street and was constructed of cut stone in the early
View from West Street Viewing Platform.
Looking north through lock 26, built in the 1880s and used into the 1920s.
Historic West Street
1850s. On the second Welland Canal, lock 27 was the first lock
on the canal when entering from Lake Erie. During its lifetime it
operated as a “lift lock,” allowing a ship to sail “up” into the canal
from Lake Erie. It wasn’t until the third canal era, 30 years later, that
the canal was able to attain a water-level close to that of Lake Erie.
When built, lock 27 was 46 metres in length.
During the 19th century, Port Colborne developed into a thriving
mercantile centre serving the marine trade. Ships waiting to pass
through the canal tied up to the canal wall along West Street to
purchase fresh produce, carry out repairs, or use the service of
tug boats. The nautical heritage of Port Colborne is still reflected
For the third Welland Canal, the total number of locks was reduced
from 27 to 26. A new lock was constructed directly beside old lock
27 in the 1880s, and these twin locks became known as lock 26.
These twin locks allowed shipping traffic to flow in both directions.
Again, lock 26 was the first lock when entering the canal from
Lake Erie. The function of lock 26 was that of a “guard lock” – to
regulate the seasonally fluctuating levels of Lake Erie, much as the
present lock 8 does. Lock 26 was 82 metres long when it was built.
Weir Channels
The nautical tradition is continued on West Street with the presence of
marine repair shops.
in many of the buildings that line West Street. Allied Marine &
Industrial, a ship servicing and repair company, continues the long
tradition of having a workshop on West Street across from the canal.
An often forgotten aspect of Port Colborne’s history is East Street,
which stood opposite to West Street on the eastern side of the
A weir channel is necessary to maintain a continuous flow of water
through the canal. Weir channels typically provide the supply of
water for filling locks and also an area where large volumes of water
can be discharged during the emptying of locks. All four Welland
Canals have utilized weir channels in their operation and they are
usually found parallel to the lock.
Two weir channels were constructed in the 1880s along with lock
26 of the third canal parallel to lock 27. One was constructed as an
“open weir” which was nearest to the lock. It has since been filled in
and is part of the Port Promenade. The second, a covered or “tunnel
weir,” is still located under West Street and is located to the west of
Curved limestone entrance to the covered weir that still flows under West Street.
the former open weir. The tunnel has its inlet near Charlotte Street
and its outlet just north of the lift bridge. Legend has it rum-runners
used the tunnel during prohibition to smuggle alcohol from the West
Street taverns to the United States.
Bridge 21, built in 1929, still serves as a vital link connecting east and west
Port Colborne.
Bridge 20, also a lift bridge, stood just north of Bridge 21. Built in
1929 by the Canadian National Railway, the bridge served passenger
and freight traffic. When the Port Colborne Harbour Railway was
completed in the mid 1990s connecting Port Colborne to railway lines
on the western side of the canal, Bridge 20 became unnecessary.
It was removed in 1997.
Photo of northern end of the weir channels and weir dam prior to the open
weir channel being filled, circa 1920.
Image courtesy of Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum.
Canal Crossings
The Hopkins Swing Bridge connected East Street and West Street
prior to the construction of the current canal channel in the 1920s. It
received its nickname from Samuel Hopkins, who operated a supply
business across from the bridge on West Street. After the opening of
the fourth canal, the swing bridge was no longer necessary and was
removed. The stone abutments of the swing bridge can still be seen at
the southern tip of the stone bulwark between the two lock channels.
The Clarence Street Lift Bridge, known as Bridge 21, is one of three
remaining lift bridges operating on the Welland Canal. Built in 1929,
the structure uses simple electric motors and counterweights to raise
the deck high above passing ships allowing for a clearance of 36.5
metres. The raising or lowering of the bridge takes about 90 seconds.
The western bridge approach over locks 26 and 27 was added when
Bridge 21 was constructed, making these locks inoperable.
Bridges 20 and 21 as they stood between 1929 and 1997, circa 1985.
Still present is the old railway bridge that crossed the twin locks and
later served as the western approach to Bridge 20. This swing bridge
was constructed with the third Welland Canal in the 1880s for the
Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad, a precursor to Canadian National
Railway. In numerous locations the steel of the bridge bears the letter
mark of the Carnegie Steel Company. The gear system on which the
bridge pivoted is still visible between the bridge and centre support
pylon.
Weir Dam – Main Street
The bridge was built as part of the fourth Welland Canal, replacing
a swing bridge over the first, second, and third canals at the same
site. The dam beneath this bridge regulates the amount of water
downstream in the canal, including seven lift locks stretching to
Lake Ontario and a hydro-electric generating plant at Decew Falls in
St. Catharines.
The railway swing bridge, built in 1880s, with Canadian National Railway
marking on the side.
The Island
North of Clarence Street, the first three canals followed the west
channel. This route made use of an old creek that passed through
the village of Stonebridge, later named Humberstone. The natural
watercourse was widened several times and augmented by
limestone blocks serving as retaining walls.
Weir dam at Main Street West.
Lock 8 and Lock 8 Gateway Park
Lock 8 on the east side of the Island serves as a guard lock for the
canal, raising or lowering ships one to four feet, depending on the
Lake Erie water levels. At 420 metres, it is one of the longest canal
locks in the world. Being the southernmost lock on the present-day
Welland Canal, many ships use time in the lock to have supplies
replenished, switch crew, and undergo minor repairs.
South point of “The Island”- weir channel to left, lock 8 to right.
Early in the 20th century it became feasible to blast through
bedrock and construct a straighter, more direct eastern channel.
It was accomplished in 1932 with the construction of the current
Welland Canal. The area surrounded by the east and west canal
channels is known locally as “The Island.” It was created by the
cutting of the new fourth canal channel in the 1920s and the
existence of the curved first, second, and third canal channels,
thereby surrounding the entire area with water. Access to The Island
from the east must be made by either of the jack-knife bridges at
Lock 8. From the west, The Island can be accessed over the weir
control structure at Main Street West, the weir crossing at Killaly
Street West, or the pedestrian bridge at Derek Point. The western
crossings pass over the route of the first, second, and third canals.
Ship entering lock 8, under jack-knife bridge (Bridge 19).
Lock 8 Gateway Park, adjacent to Lock 8 has an elevated viewing
platform to watch ships enter and exit the lock. The single-leaf
rolling bascule, or jack-knife bridges at each end provide vehicle
access to “The Island” and the east and west sides of the City.
Ramey’s Bend
At Main Street, the old canal channel curves slowly eastward to a
point where it meets the present-day canal. The location is known as
Ramey’s Bend. After Ramey’s Bend, old and new channels co-exist
to a point where a 1972 diversion allows the Welland Canal to
bypass the City of Welland. Over the years, the construction of new
shipping channels has moved the canal away from the commercial
districts of St. Catharines, Thorold, and Welland. Only Port Colborne’s
Downtown Business District remains bisected by the waterways.
This photo of Ramey’s Bend, circa 1980, shows the current alignment of the
canal and remnants of the old alignment.
Old Robin Hood Flour Mill
The old Robin Hood mill is situated on the west bank of the “old”
Welland Canal. The mill was built in the early 1940s to meet
demand for flour during the Second World War. The large steel
structure to the left of the building was a guide for the 15-storey
ship unloader called the “marine tower” (no longer used), which
rolled back and forth on railway tracks. The elevator itself has a
capacity of 2.25-million bushels of wheat.
Port Colborne remains an active location for grain storage and
milling. Both ends of the canal in Port Colborne are flanked by
grain storage and milling facilities. Port Colborne’s location at the
Lake Erie entrance to the Welland Canal and easy access to rail
transportation has made the grain industry an important local
economic activity.
H.H. Knoll
Lakeview
Park
Robin Hood mill on the weir channel.
Port Colborne is a city of 19,000
residents located on Niagara’s South
Coast where the Welland Canal
connects to Lake Erie. The city’s
modern industries and urban setting
are complemented by a rich heritage.
European settlement of the Port
Colborne area began in the 1790s, and
bestowed an agrarian and grist-milling
tradition that continues to this day
and can be seen in many buildings
and local landmarks.
The Welland Canal was extended
to Lake Erie in 1833 and proved to be
instrumental in the formation of Port
Colborne as a marine and industrial
centre. It has also influenced
residential growth and provides
unique recreational opportunities.
We invite you to explore history
through the sites featured in this
guide, and experience Historic
Port Colborne.
City of Port Colborne
Economic Development, Tourism & Marketing
296 Fielden Avenue
Port Colborne, ON L3K 4T6
Tel.: 905-834-1668
tourism@portcolborne.ca
www.portcolborne.ca