__NOTOC__ The Three Nations Crossing is a

border crossing Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

on the Canada–US border, connecting the city of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to Rooseveltown, New York, a neighborhood within the Town of Massena, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The crossing is associated with the

Seaway International Bridge The Seaway International Bridge is an international crossing connecting New York State, in the United States, Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, and the province of Ontario in Canada. It consists of the South and North Channel Bridges. The South Chan ...

, which crosses the two channels on each side of Cornwall Island, which is located on the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

. The bridge is in length.

History

Canada established Cornwall as a

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internati ...

in 1800. Regular ferry service existed between Cornwall and Massena since the late 1800s. In 1900, the rail bridge of New York and Ottawa Railway was built at Cornwall, the only crossing on the St. Lawrence River between

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

at this point. During the 1920s, negotiations with several parties were initiated to find a way of supporting automobile traffic on the Cornwall railway bridge. In 1935 a road bridge was added and both rail and road bridges were commemorated as the Roosevelt International Bridges. The international bridges were replaced in 1958 by the Cornwall-Massena International Bridge, at which time both border stations were also replaced. The north span of the bridge was replaced in 2014. In 2000, the international border crossing was renamed the Three Nations Crossing, in honor of the

Mohawk people The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous people of North America, with communities in southeastern Canada and northern Ne ...

Akwesasne The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; french: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; moh, Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ont ...

, a federally recognized Mohawk tribe in the United States and

Indigenous peoples in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

. The reservation is situated mostly in the US state of New York, and crosses into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. File:Cornwall Ontario New Bridge.JPG, New North Channel Bridge between Cornwall and Akwesasne in Ontario, Canada File:Cornwall-Ontario-New-Bridge-2014.JPG, New 2014 bridge between Cornwall and Akwesasne, Ontario, Canada. New bridge is lower bridge. Old bridge is higher bridge. It is scheduled to be removed. File:Demolition of Seaway International Bridge in Cornwall Ontairo.JPG, July 2015: Demolition of Seaway International Bridge, which was replaced by the much lower North Channel Bridge

Controversy

In May 2009, the Mohawk people of Akwesasne occupied the area around the

Canada Border Services Agency The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cu ...

(CBSA) port of entry building to protest the Canadian government's decision to arm its border agents while operating on Mohawk territory. The north span of the

and the CBSA inspection facilities were closed. During this occupation, the Canadian flag was replaced with the flag of the Mohawk people. Although US Customs remained opened to southbound traffic, northbound traffic was blocked on the US side by both American and Canadian officials. The Canadian border at this crossing remained closed for six weeks. On July 13, 2009, the CBSA opened a temporary inspection station at the north end of the north span of the bridge in the city of Cornwall, allowing traffic to once again flow in both directions. The Mohawk people of Akwesasne have staged ongoing protests at this border. In 2014 they objected to a process that made their crossing more tedious; believing it violated their treaty rights of free passage. When traveling from the US to Cornwall Island, they must first cross a second bridge into Canada, for inspection at the new Canadian border station. Discussions between inter-governmental agencies were being pursued on the feasibility of relocating the Canadian border inspection facilities on the US side of the border.

References

External links

* {{cite gnis, 2419920, Three Nations Crossing, September 18, 2010
Seaway International Bridge Corporation
1935 establishments in New York (state) 1935 establishments in Ontario Buildings and structures in St. Lawrence County, New York Canada–United States border crossings Cornwall, Ontario Mohawk tribe Through arch bridges in Canada Through arch bridges in the United States

History

Controversy

See also

References

External links