Coteau-du-Lac canal

Coteau-du-Lac canal

Coteau-du-Lac Canal is an 18th Century military canal in Canada located at the junction of the Delisle and Saint Lawrence Rivers in Quebec. The canal was the first work of its kind in North America, and is a national historic site. It is located in the town of Coteau-du-Lac in Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality, Quebec.

The American War of Independence (1775–1783) revealed a number of serious flaws in the British defence system. The western frontier of the Canadian colony was protected by the military outposts on the Great Lakes. However, these outposts were all the more vulnerable for being difficult to reach. Troop and merchandise transport via the Saint Lawrence River was seriously slowed by the rapids located upstream from Montreal. In particular, the rapids at Coteau-du-Lac were the most difficult to get past and skirting the rapids by going inland prolonged supply times. To accelerate shipment of military supplies westward, Governor Frederick Haldimand ordered for a canal to be dug at Coteau-du-Lac.[1]

The construction of the canal at Coteau-du-Lac began in 1779 under the control of Captain William Twiss. The King's Royal Regiment of New York were mobilised to dig the canal.[2]

When construction was completed On February 15, 1781, the lock system was approximately 100 metres long and 2.5 metres wide. Each of the three locks was 12 m long and 1.8 m wide, with draft measuring close to 80 cm. Taken together, these locks compensated for a drop of about 2 m between the head and the bottom of the rapids.[2]

Today, water no longer flows around the site or through the canal owing to a drop in water levels due to the building of hydroelectric dams, the building of newer dams, and other modern development.

Contents

Footnotes

  1. ^ UELAC.org - Loyalist Monuments - Sir Frederick Haldimand Plaque, Quebec City
  2. ^ a b Parks Canada - Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site of Canada - The First Lock canal in North America

See also

External links

References

  • Parks Canada, Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site brochure, undated.

Coordinates: 45°17′16″N 74°10′37″W / 45.287793°N 74.176919°W / 45.287793; -74.176919


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec —   Town   …   Wikipedia

  • Coteau-du-Lac — Administration Pays  Canada Province …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Côteau du Lac —    Hd Canal at, 185 …   The makers of Canada

  • Canal Soulanges — L une des écluses du canal, probablement au début du XXe siècle. Le canal Soulanges est une voie naviguable de 23,5 kilomètres située dans la région administrative de Vaudreuil Soulanges au Québec. Il relie le lac Saint François à l ouest au …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Canal de Soulanges — 45°19′51″N 73°58′09″O / 45.33083, 73.96917 Le canal de Soulanges est une voie navigable de 23,5 k …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ligne Le Coteau - Montchanin — Ligne n° 769000 Le Coteau Montchanin Pays  France Villes desservies Le Coteau, Paray le Monial, Montchanin Historique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ligne du Coteau à Montchanin — Ligne Le Coteau Montchanin Pays  France Villes desservies Le Coteau, Paray le Monial, Montchanin Historique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Twiss — General William Twiss, (1745 ndash; 14 March 1827), was a British Army Royal Engineer, responsible for the design of many military defenses. Probably born in Kent in 1744 or 1755, Twiss worked in the ordnance office at the Tower of London from… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste des lieux historiques nationaux du Canada au Québec — Voici la liste des lieux historiques nationaux du Canada (anglais : National Historic Sites of Canada) situé au Québec. Il y a 190 lieux historiques nationaux au Québec, sont 30 sont administrés par Parcs Canada[1],[2]. De ce nombre il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Route 201 (Québec) — Route 201 Informations Gérée par le MTQ Longueur : 69,8 kilomètres …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”