The Soulanges Canal is an abandoned shipping canal in Quebec, Canada. It follows the north shore of the

Saint 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, connectin ...

between Pointe-des-Cascades and Coteaux-Landing, bypassing the rapids between

Lake Saint-Louis Lake Saint-Louis is a lake in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The Saint Lawrence Seaway passes through the lake. Lake St. Louis is a widening of the St. Lawrence River in the Hochelaga Arch ...

and Lake Saint-Francis. In between, it passes through the towns of Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac. It superseded the first

Beauharnois Canal The Beauharnois Canal is located in southwestern Quebec, Canada. The canal is part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Located in Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality within the cities of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Beauharnois, Saint-L ...

which was on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence. It is long and had a draught. Five locks measuring give a total rise of . The Soulanges Canal was named after the Soulanges

Seigneury ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...

which was granted in 1702 by Governor

Louis-Hector de Callière Louis-Hector de Callière or Callières (12 November 1648 – 26 May 1703) was a French military officer, who was the governor of Montreal (1684–1699), and the 13th governor of New France from 1698 to 1703. During his tenure as governor of ...

to Pierre-Jacques de Joybert, Knight and Lord of Soulanges. Operation of the Soulanges Canal was powered by a small

hydro electric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

generating station. "Le Petit Pouvoir" is located near the middle of the canal and provided power for the motorized

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

gates, electrical operation of the

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

s, and illumination for the entire length of the canal at night. It was the first canal in the world to have its entire passageway lit by night, allowing round-the-clock operation. It opened in 1899 and remained in operation until 1958 when it was in turn superseded by an enlarged

which is now part of the

Saint Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Ameri ...

. Today, a popular cycling path follows the route of the canal. In the past there have been plans to reopen the canal to pleasure boats, but these have not materialized. On May 22, 1974, five college women were killed when their car was hit by another, and they were pushed into the canal. Four of the women were students at Potsdam State College in Potsdam, NY. The other was a student at Albany State College in Albany, NY.

References

External links

Soulanges Canal
at the Canadian Canal Society * Sébastien Daviau et Édith Prégent. Le canal de Soulanges (1899-1958) : une aventure technologique et humaine - exposition virtuelle du Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulange

* A photo collection of the Soulanges Canal in use: http://stlawrencepiks.com/seawayhistory/beforeseaway/soulanges/ {{Coord, 45, 19, 51, N, 73, 58, 09, W, region:CA-QC_type:river, display=title Ship canals Saint Lawrence Seaway Canals in Quebec Buildings and structures in Montérégie Canals opened in 1899 1899 establishments in Canada Transport in Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality

See also

References

External links