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.

Location

Near the site of former Lock #6, in Centennial Gardens Park - via Gale Crescent or Oakdale Avenue, St. Catharines

Themes

• Industry and trade
• Transportation systems and communications