Construction of Welland Canal celebrated

On Saturday morning, the community came together at the Allanburg Bridge to mark the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Welland Canal.

“On November 30, 1824, the first shovel of soil was turned for what would become the first Welland Canal,” Thorold Heritage Committee Chair Anna O’Hare told the gathered crowd. “The project was widely expected to fail, but here we are, 200 years later to the day.”

The Welland Canal was first conceived by William Hamilton Merritt, George Keefer and John DeCew. The three business men hatched the plan for the canal connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, to ease shipping across the Great Lakes. 

During Saturday morning’s ‘turning of the sod’ ceremony, several descendants of the men were present, as local historian Tom Russell shed light on the construction of the first Welland Canal.

“The canal had two names during the construction,” said Russell. “Merrit’s Ditch, in honour of William Hamilton Merritt, who is considered to be the father of the Welland Canal, and also the Wooden Canal, because the majority of the component parts of the canal were made of wood.”

The workers who built the canal — many of them immigrants — faced several challenges.

“They had to deal with landslides, they had to deal with unstable soil and other things,” Russell said. “Then disaster struck. They hit a very large sinkhole in Port Robinson. One of the canal workers was actually killed and numerous others were injured.”

In spite of the setbacks, the first Welland Canal was finished in 1829. Through the following decades the canal was revised several times and it is currently on its fourth iteration.

Today, it is managed by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, and the group's VP of Operations, D'Arcy Wilson, also spoke at Saturday’s event.

“I'd like to offer a special word of thanks to all of our Seaway employees, both present and past, for their efforts making the canal one of the most reliable and efficient shipping routes in North America,” he said.

Politicians from all levels of government also had a few words to share.

“The Welland Canal stands as a testament,” said MP Vance Badawey. “A testament to ingenuity, resilience, and cooperation. Connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, it opened the heart of the continent to trade.”

MPP Jeff Burch highlighted the amazing turn out to the ceremony on Saturday morning.

“As a Thorold resident, I'm always impressed by the community's pride and fantastic job done by the City in celebrating our heritage and history,” he said. “I love bragging about it in the Ontario Legislature.”

Thorold Regional Councillor Tim Whalen delivered an address on behalf of the region, and then it was Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini's turn.

“The canal put Thorold on the map,” he said. “Today we not only celebrate a significant event in our history, but pay tribute to the Welland Canal’s enduring legacy and significance moving forward.”

Then a historical plaque was unveiled to commemorate the occasion. Afterwards, people gathered at Fire Station 2 in Thorold South for a champagne toast.

“I'm absolutely thrilled by the crowd of people that showed up today,” Anna O’Hare told ThoroldToday. “I did not expect that. It's wonderful. We're absolutely thrilled.”