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The Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal is a canal and set of locks linking Lake Saint-Louis and Lake of Two Mountains at
Technical Fact Sheet
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Cultural Heritage
/ref> The first plans for the canal were drawn up in 1831. But because of financial, administrative, and political setbacks, it would not be until 1840 that construction began on the canal. It was completed on November 14, 1843. The original locks were long, wide, and deep at the sills.
The canal and locks proved to be a major impetus to colonization and commerce. Soon after it opened, it was used by many people travelling upstream to settle in Upper Canada, and it attracted a large amount of commercial traffic. This, as well as the lock's approach that was difficult to navigate, necessitated a second lock. Following the recommendations of the Canals Commission in 1870, a second lock was built directly east and parallel to the first one, with work completed in 1882. The original locks were used less and less until 1909 when they were abandoned.
Since the completion of the second canal, the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal and the other canals of the Ottawa River were mainly used to transport wood to Montreal. This commerce flourished until 1919 whereafter the logging industry went into decline. From 1920 to 1963, shipments of sand, gravel and petroleum products became the principal freight transported. In 1914, electric lighting was installed, and in 1923, the gate mechanisms were electrified. But the railroad supplanted water transportation and the canal lost most of its importance. In the 1960s, a period of modernization saw the removal of many old service buildings, such as the toll collector’s residence and office, smithy, carpentry shop, storehouse, and tool shed. The lock’s old wooden gates were replaced with steel ones and in 1964, the old 1843 canal and locks were completely
Parks Canada official website
{{Authority control 1843 establishments in Canada Buildings and structures in Montreal Canals in Quebec Canals opened in 1843 National Historic Sites in Quebec Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec Tourist attractions in the Montreal region Transport in Montreal
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an on-island suburb located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703. The old ...
, the very westernmost point of Montreal Island, Quebec, Canada. It is a National Historic Site of Canada.
The canal is located in the eastern channel of the Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...
around Perrot Island ('' ÃŽle Perrot'') where shallow rapids form a natural obstacle. It forms part of the waterway system that allows boating access from the Saint Lawrence River up the Ottawa River to the City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws. It is overseen by the City Manage ...
, and even to Lake Ontario via the Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...
.
The canal and locks are used today exclusively for recreational boating. The site is a popular tourist location that also offers mooring places, picnic tables, boat launch, and park land. Guided tours and interpretative panels are provided by Parks Canada. Together with the boardwalk and restaurants and cafes that line the canal, the site drew 181,000 visitors and 23,000 boaters in 2003, making it the second busiest canal and locks in Quebec. The dimensions of the lock are long, wide, and deep at the sills. It lifts boats by .Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal National Historic Site - Visitor InformationTechnical Fact Sheet
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History
Prior to the existence of the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal, there had already been since 1816 a canal and lock in the channel on the west side of Perrot Island, facing Dorion. But this canal was privately owned, with its owners therefore having a monopoly over the shipping going upstream. Other merchants, opposing the unfair practice, petitioned the government to build a public lock at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.Sainte-Anne-de- Bellevue Canal National Historic Site - Natural Wonders & Cultural TreasuresCultural Heritage
/ref> The first plans for the canal were drawn up in 1831. But because of financial, administrative, and political setbacks, it would not be until 1840 that construction began on the canal. It was completed on November 14, 1843. The original locks were long, wide, and deep at the sills.
The canal and locks proved to be a major impetus to colonization and commerce. Soon after it opened, it was used by many people travelling upstream to settle in Upper Canada, and it attracted a large amount of commercial traffic. This, as well as the lock's approach that was difficult to navigate, necessitated a second lock. Following the recommendations of the Canals Commission in 1870, a second lock was built directly east and parallel to the first one, with work completed in 1882. The original locks were used less and less until 1909 when they were abandoned.
Since the completion of the second canal, the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal and the other canals of the Ottawa River were mainly used to transport wood to Montreal. This commerce flourished until 1919 whereafter the logging industry went into decline. From 1920 to 1963, shipments of sand, gravel and petroleum products became the principal freight transported. In 1914, electric lighting was installed, and in 1923, the gate mechanisms were electrified. But the railroad supplanted water transportation and the canal lost most of its importance. In the 1960s, a period of modernization saw the removal of many old service buildings, such as the toll collector’s residence and office, smithy, carpentry shop, storehouse, and tool shed. The lock’s old wooden gates were replaced with steel ones and in 1964, the old 1843 canal and locks were completely backfill
This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains.
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ed.
In 1972, the canal, locks, and banks were designated a National Historic Site and came under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada
Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...
. Because of the canal's transportation and historic roles, it is managed in accordance with the Department of Transport Act and the Historic Sites and Monuments Act.
See also
*Carillon Canal
The Carillon Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec. It preserves the historic Carillon Canal that was first built in the 1830s to facilitate travel on the Ottawa River. It is a prominent heritage site a ...
, canal on the Ottawa River, also a National Historic Site
* Grenville Canal, historic canal on the Ottawa River
References
External links
Parks Canada official website
{{Authority control 1843 establishments in Canada Buildings and structures in Montreal Canals in Quebec Canals opened in 1843 National Historic Sites in Quebec Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec Tourist attractions in the Montreal region Transport in Montreal