Soulanges Canal
Encyclopedia
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
between Pointe-des-Cascades
Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec
Pointe-des-Cascades is a village and municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. It is located on a spit of land where the Saint Lawrence River flows into Lake Saint-Louis...
and Coteaux-Landing
Les Coteaux, Quebec
Les Coteaux is a municipality located in the Montérégie region of Quebec, north of the Saint Lawrence River and Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.-Population:Population trend-Language:Mother tongue language -References:...
, bypassing the rapids between Lake Saint-Louis
Lake Saint-Louis
Lake Saint-Louis, or in French , is a lake in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, adjoining the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers.The lake is bounded to the north and east by the Island of Montreal...
and Lake Saint-Francis. In between, it passes through the towns of Les Cèdres
Les Cèdres, Quebec
Les Cèdres is a municipality located north of the Saint Lawrence River in the Montérégie of Quebec near Vaudreuil-Dorion. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 5,732.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
and Coteau-du-Lac
Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec
Coteau-du-Lac is a small town in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality....
. It superseded the first Beauharnois Canal
Beauharnois Canal
The Beauharnois Canal is a Canadian canal located in southwestern Quebec. The canal is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway.Located in Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality within the cities of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Beauharnois, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka,...
which was on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence. It is 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) long and had a 4.3 metres (14.1 ft) draught. Five locks measuring 85.3 m (279.9 ft) x 14 m (45.9 ft) give a total rise of 25 metres (82 ft).
The Soulanges Canal was named after the Soulanges Seigneury
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
which was granted in 1702 by Governor Louis-Hector de Callière
Louis-Hector de Callière
Louis-Hector de Callière or Callières was a French politician, who was the governor of Montreal , and the governor of New France from 1698 to 1703. He played an important role in defining the strategy that New France followed during the Queen Anne's War.De Callière was born in Thorigny-sur-Vire,...
to Pierre-Jacques de Joybert
Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson was the administrator of Acadia in 1677-1678.Born at Saint-Hilaire de Soulanges, Marne in Champagne, France, son of Claude de Joybert, Seigneur de Soulanges. As a young man he served in Portugal before coming to Quebec in 1665 as a Lieutenant in the...
, Knight and Lord of Soulanges
Soulanges, Marne
Soulanges is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....
.
Operation of the Soulanges Canal was powered by a small hydro electric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
generating station. "Le Petit Pouvoir" is located near the middle of the canal and provided power for the motorized lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
gates, electrical operation of the swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing 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 centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
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
Beauharnois Canal
The Beauharnois Canal is a Canadian canal located in southwestern Quebec. The canal is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway.Located in Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality within the cities of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Beauharnois, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka,...
which is now part part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
.
Today, a popular cycling path follows the route of the canal. There are plans to reopen the canal to pleasure boats
Pleasure craft
A pleasure craft is a boat used for personal, family, and sometimes sportsmanlike recreation. Typically such watercraft are motorized and are used for holidays, for example on a river, lake, canal or waterway. Pleasure craft are normally kept at a marina...
. The mission of the Régie intermunicipale du canal de Soulanges is to manage the development of tourism as part of the reopening of the canal.
External links
- Soulanges Canal at the Canadian Canal Society