The Rideau Waterway
Text from the plaque
Constructed 1826-32 by the British government for military purposes, but used principally for commerce, the Rideau waterway, together with the lower Ottawa River, was the first canalized route from Montreal to the Great Lakes. Although eastbound traffic continued to use the St. Lawrence, westbound traffic, including many thousands of immigrants, utilized the new route to avoid the hazards and delays of upstream navigation on that river. With the completion, in 1846, of the St. Lawrence canals, use of the Rideau as a commercial thoroughfare declined sharply. However, it remained vitally important to the region by providing its agriculture and industry with economic access to markets. In time the Rideau became one of Ontario's major recreational waterways.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Lanark
The Town of Smiths Falls
In Victoria Park, on the north side of
Lombard Street (Highway 15)
across from Aberdeen Street, 2 blocks west of Beckwith Street
N 44 53.755 W 76 01.384
Recorded June 2004. Check current access before visiting.
Where it stands
