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Links and Resources

The Old Welland Canal Feild Guide's purpose has always been to introduce people to the historic Welland Canals. If you want to learn more about the canals we've compiled a list of resources you can use to get started. The "Top Resources" list has been peer reviewed by several Welland Canal experts. It's not an exhaustive list but we believe these are the best resources available today to learn about the canals.


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This Great National Object: Building The Nineteenth-Century Welland Canals (2012) by Roberta M. Styran and Robert R. Taylor - This is one of two books we'd recommend if you're looking for a comprehensive history of the Welland Canals. This book places an emphasis on the engineering accomplishments made by the people who built and operated the Welland Canals. This book is widely available in local libraries.

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The Welland Canals and Their Communities: Engineering, Industrial and Urban Transformation (1997) by John N. Jackson - This is the second of two history books about the canals we're recommending. This book places a greater emphasis on how decisions made while building the canals, often for unforeseen reasons, affected the urban development along the canals. This book is widely available in local libraries.

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Biography of the Hon. W. H. Merritt (1875) by Jedediah Prendergast Merritt – If you want to read more about William Hamilton Merritt's personal life story his son Jedediah published this biography about his father in 1875. Most of the personal information we have about William Merritt comes from this book. Several copies of this book are available in the Special Collections department of the St. Catharines Public Library.

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Survey of Lands appropriate to the use of the Welland Canal Company (1826-1837) - Before the First Welland Canal was built, William Hamilton Merritt went to every property owner along its route, surveyed their land and drew a map showing how much of their land was needed for the canal. These surveys still exist and are kept by the Archives and Special Collections department of Brock University. There's also no need to go there, they can be downloaded as six pdf files from Brock University's website. Make sure to click on the option, “View more items” on the web page to see all six files.

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Welland Canal from Actual Survey (1837) – Also called the “Baird and Killaly Map”, this is a map of the First Welland Canal made ten years after the canal was built. The value of this map is priceless because it's the only map showing the complete route and design of the First Welland Canal after it was built. It’s also amazingly accurate when tested against newer maps and satellite images. Copies can download from the Brock University Map Library on the "Welland Canal From Actual Survey" webpage. Just a warning, the map is enormous and you'll need to download eleven huge tiff files to get the whole map.

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Second Welland Canal Books 1, 2, and 3 (1826-1860s) – Books 1, 2 and 3 are the original plans for building the Second Welland Canal. They are very complete and often including information about the roads and buildings populating the banks of the canal. Similar to the “Survey of Lands” book mentioned above, these books are being kept by the Archives and Special Collections department of Brock University. They can be downloaded as Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.

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The Welland Ship Canal Between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie 1913 -1932 (1935) by Major Percy J Cowan – One reason this book is on the list is because it has an almost cult like following among Welland Canal aficionados. The book compiles three years of engineering articles about the Forth Welland Canal, including a comprehensive history of the canals and details of what happened to the Third Welland Canal when the Fourth Welland Canal was getting built in 1913-1932. This book is available in the Special Collections department of the St. Catharines Public Library.

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The Welland Canals: Historical Resource Analysis and Preservation Alternatives (1976) by Greenwald, Michelle – Arguably the best resource on the list. In the mid 1970’s the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation decided to study the canals and index every remaining remnant from the older Welland Canals. This book is difficult to find but there is a copy at the St. Catharines Museum and in the Special Collections section of the downtown St. Catharines Library.

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A Survey of Historical Structures: The Welland Canal Industrial Corridor (1990) by Welland Canals Society Archaeology Project – This book is amazing if you’re interested in the industrial corridor that sprung up beside the First and Second Welland Canals in St. Catharines, Merriton and Thorold. If you see any old building or structure along the canals in these areas, this book will tell you what it is and why it's there. This book is difficult to find but there is a copy at the St. Catharines Museum and in the Special Collections section of the downtown St. Catharines Library.

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Historic Welland Canals Mapping Project (HWCMP) – This is the most recent resource on the list. Designed by Colleen Baird, a Welland Canal expert and map librarian at Brock University in 2017, the HWCMP is an interactive website that uses modern day mapping technology to show the routes of the historic Welland Canals. We highly recommend using this website: HWCMP

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Historic Welland Canals (2010) by Roger Bradshaw – This book is on the list because it makes a unique and special contribution to our appreciation of the canals. Roger Bradshaw had been taking professional quality photos of Welland Canal remnants for several years and decided to publish them in what is essentially a coffee table book. The photos are amazing. This book is available in local libraries and last we checked still for sale at the St. Catharines Museum.


Please forward any comments and suggestions to ac.ocitapmys|slanacdnallewdlo#ac.ocitapmys|slanacdnallewdlo. The information on this page was written for informational purposes only, reprinting without permission is not allowed.

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