The Soulanges Canal is an abandoned shipping canal in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It follows the north shore of the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

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 Hochela ...

and Lake Saint-Francis. In between, it passes through the towns of Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac. It superseded the first Beauharnois Canal which was on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence.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 .

History

The Soulanges Canal was named after the Soulanges

Seigneury A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal system, feudal title in Ancien Régime, France before the French Revolution, Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owne ...

which was granted in 1702 by Governor Louis-Hector de Callière 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 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...

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

lock Lock(s) or Locked 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 entertainme ...

gates, electrical operation of the

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

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 Beauharnois Canal which is now part of the

Saint Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...

. 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.

Gallery

File:Canal Soulanges1.JPG, A derelict lock

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 Transport in Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality 1899 establishments in Quebec

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links