It is always a great trip to Niagara Falls to see the Showcase Greenhouse Christmas display. The drive back along the Lakeshore means one can stop at Sunshine Express to see their grand display and then cross the canal at Carlton Street. But we didn't immediately cross the canal - we watched a boat come through into the lock.
Isn't this quite the sign on the boat? Look over there - it is NO SMOKING making its way through the Welland Canal at Lock 2. I wondered what the name of the ship is. I went looking for the schedule - but didn't find an online schedule. I remember there was a posted schedule at the Visitor Centre last summer, so one could time one's visits for the ships coming through. Having lived next to the Welland Canal near the Lock 2 bridge on Carlton as a child, one could look down Scott Street and pretty well spot a boat any time. It was constant, and the bridges when up and down all the time.
Of course, there's less traffic now as we're at the end of the season. The canal is open late due to the good weather. When the weather gets cold, the locks will be emptied, and one will be able to see how deep they are. I'll take some photos so you can really see the engineering feat that was accomplished in the 1930's.
And then back to the Niagara Falls Showcase Greenhouses, there were some lovely mourning doves flitting about and cooing. There was even a small group of sparrows in the tropical house.
How many Welland Canals are there? These pictures show the Port Dalhousie entrance - part of the remains of the third Welland Canal which was built in the latter 1800's. I am familiar with the fourth Welland Canal as we lived on Scott Street at the canal and it was part of our daily lives. As one drove down Scott Street, one could see the ships tied up waiting for their turn in the locks. The fourth canal was completed in 1933.
So there was a first, second, third, fourth and feeder canal. There are some remains, like this entrance, to these canals.
"A history of the Old Welland Canals would not be complete without addressing the current legacy of the First, Second and Third Welland Canals and the Feeder Canal. You may be wondering what happened to them and how much of them are left? The answer to these questions may surprise you. Although obsolete and no longer in use the majority of the canal infrastructure was left alone."
