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Great Connection, The - Trent Severn Waterway, Ontario (32/65)


This is also part of this series: HistoryLands Series (65)

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Subjects: Canadian Geography, Canadian History, Transportation

Grade Level: JrH-Adult
Producer: Good Earth Productions
Closed Captioned: No
Running Time: 30 mins
Country of Origin: Canada
Study Guide: No

Copyright Date:
Available in French: No

Transportation on the Great Lakes has had enormous influence on the settlement patterns of Ontario. With the growing needs of industry, it was necessary to accommodate larger and larger ships and find a faster route into the interior. The Trent Severn Waterway, designed to bypass Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, started out with a small wooden lock at Bobcaygeon in 1833. The full system of locks and canals wasn't complete until 1920, by which time the railway had all but replaced shipping as an effective means of transportation. But the first half of the 20th century saw the explosion of interest in recreational boating, so the Waterway has fulfilled an important function. The Lift Lock at Peterborough is the world's highest hydraulic Lift Lock, raising boats as high as 65 feet. Construction began in the late 1890's, using technology imported from Europe, and opened in 1904. It remains a great engineering accomplishment studied and admired throughout the world.