Historic Shubenacadie Canal System

Historic Shubenacadie Canal System (HM1HD8)

Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2X 2M1 Halifax Regional Municipality
Country: Canada
Buy Canada flags at Flagstore.com!

N 44° 42.129', W 63° 33.271'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 776 views
Inscription

Lock 3

— 1824-31 ——— 1856-70 —

At the point you are approximately 26 meters above sea level, almost at the height of Lake Charles from which the water flows in two directions - south to the Harbour and north to the Bay of Fundy. To get to this point vessels would have traveled from the Harbour to Sullivan Pond (lift of 15m) via the inclined plain which no longer exists and passed through Locks 1, 2 and 3.


This area of the canal provides an excellent opportunity to view all the components of a lock system - lock, dam and waste water weir. Construction of Lock 3, which lifted and lowered vessels approximately 4m was completed in 1857. This is the best preserved of the "composite" or American style locks designed by Charles Fairbanks following a tour of canals in New England. This structure replaced a granite stone lock built in the late 1820 but never used. The new wooden planking on the walls of the lock and the wooden gates were added in 1987.


In order to provide a sufficient depth of water in the channel leading to Lake Charles, earth and rock banks were constructed on the low side of the channel and a dam was built on either side of the lock. The water level in the channel and holding pond could be controlled by the waste weir on the far side of the pond. This control was essential in order to allow repairs to be made to the lock and dam and to control flood waters.


(Sidebar on the left. To enlarge the map, click of the photo image.)



? Used by the Mi?kmaq for centuries, the Shubenacadie waterway was carved out of the bedrock by glaciers during the last ice age.

? Work on the Canal system began in 1826, ceased in 1831 and resumed in 1854. The Canal was completed in 1861. Construction of 9 locks, and 2 incline planes connected the chain of 7 lakes and the Shubenacadie River enabling boats to travel from Halifax Harbour to the Minas Basin.

? The Shubenacadie Canal opened in sections and operated between 1856 and 1870. Steam vessels hauled barges laden with goods along the System.

? By 1870, railways were able to transport goods cheaper and faster forcing closure of the Canal.

? Today the Shubenacadie Canal System is a National Historic Civil Engineering site and a popular recreation and heritage corridor.
Details
HM NumberHM1HD8
Tags
Year Placed2001
Placed ByImperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE), Robin Hood Chapter
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 9th, 2014 at 9:38am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)20T E 456069 N 4950013
Decimal Degrees44.70215000, -63.55451667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 42.129', W 63° 33.271'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 42' 7.74" N, 63° 33' 16.26" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 912-916 Locks Rd, Dartmouth Nova Scotia B2X 2M1, CA
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?