Where They Lived
History
Port Dalhousie owes its existence and growth to the building of the First Welland Canal, begun in 1824 and completed in 1829. The entrance to the first canal was at the west end of the present Lakeside Park (made famous in a song by Rush) and followed along the bank, on the northeast side of Lock Street then turning south and passing behind the former Government Gate Yard and Maple Leaf Rubber Company (Lincoln Fabrics) before linking up with the Twelve Mile Creek.
The locks of this canal were very small, being only 100 feet (30 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, built of wood. Traffic at the time was carried on small sailing vessels, having a carrying capacity of between five and six thousand bushels of grain.
Along with the canal came the people to serve its needs. Barge and horse handlers, tow boys, ships chandlers, and dry dock workers. Rooming houses and grog shops flourished bringing a different life and flavour to what had been a sparsely populated rural farming area.
Above are the first few paragraphs of a comprehensive history of the town of Port Dalhousie, which can be found here
Port Dalhousie owes its existence and growth to the building of the First Welland Canal, begun in 1824 and completed in 1829. The entrance to the first canal was at the west end of the present Lakeside Park (made famous in a song by Rush) and followed along the bank, on the northeast side of Lock Street then turning south and passing behind the former Government Gate Yard and Maple Leaf Rubber Company (Lincoln Fabrics) before linking up with the Twelve Mile Creek.
The locks of this canal were very small, being only 100 feet (30 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, built of wood. Traffic at the time was carried on small sailing vessels, having a carrying capacity of between five and six thousand bushels of grain.
Along with the canal came the people to serve its needs. Barge and horse handlers, tow boys, ships chandlers, and dry dock workers. Rooming houses and grog shops flourished bringing a different life and flavour to what had been a sparsely populated rural farming area.
Above are the first few paragraphs of a comprehensive history of the town of Port Dalhousie, which can be found here
A Map of Port Dalhousie. Ontario. Where These Men Lived! Aerial Shots of The Town of Port Dalhousie - Early 20th Century
The Welland Canal Protection Force - In Port Dalhousie Lincoln & Welland Regiment - "The Links and Winks"
The Port Dalhousie Cenotaph (corner of Main and Ann Streets) - Dedicated to the Soldiers from Port Dalhousie who died in the two (Picture below - Courtesy of Brian MacDonald) Great Wars