In 1829, a functioning channel filled with running water and presenting endless possibilities was opened in the Niagara region. Going on to be the first of four canals, the first Welland Canal opened doors for the local and nonlocal ships to pass easily through Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. This passageway allowed these boats to conveniently go around Niagara Falls and, when the lock was fully developed in 1833, to go straight through to Lake Erie. Throughout the decades that have passed since the original opening, the canals have been operated by numerous private and non-private entities. Currently holding the position of authority over the canals is the St. Lawrence Seaway. The original water source for the canals, Grand River. The first canal was created under the supervision of William Hamilton Merritt, the "Father of the Welland Canal" who was known for his involvement in the Upper Canada Company. Unlike the other canals, the first one was built using public funds. It was originally constructed using wood and iron to develop the locks and bridges that were horse powered, but as time went on these materials and mechanics were replaced with other types of metals and complex engineering systems to fully create what is the fourth Welland Canal today. Costing a total of eight million dollars, the 40 lock, 43.4 km long first canal is currently not functioning and over time has taken quite a beating, and although it has not been in use, a few parts of the Canal have been preserved and can still be seen to this day. The first Welland Canal opened doors for the development of the Niagara region and is a significant part of this region's history.

Municipality:St. Catharines

Local area name: Port Dalhousie

Other identifying names or descriptions: N/A

Latitude and longitude:43.202953, -79.265464

Physical Dimensions (of the entire Canal):

Length: 43.4 km

Width: 6.7 m

Surface Area: The canal reaches from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. This is approx, 43.4 km long and approx 2.4 m deep all the way threw. Attached, it had 40 locks and each of these locks where 33.5 m long and 6 m deep.

Elevation: the entrance of the canal is at 82 m

The first Welland Canal is located in the heart of the Niagara region. It stretches from the entrance at Port Dalhousie, which overlooks Lake Ontario, all the way to Lake Erie. At the time, its construction made way for a large economic boom in the location. Companies popped up along the canal that would feed the economy and provide jobs for the locals. These businesses would sell products like cloth and textiles for both the locals and the ships passing through the canal. The location where the entrance is now located is in the heart of Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines. It is a small community which has been developed into an elongated grid pattern. The town's development is mainly attributed to the construction of the canals as well as the 19^th century Great Lakes shipping. The city itself is made of early 19^th/20^th century architecture and was once the homestead for a multitude of people from a variety of social classes like sailors, canal workers, businessmen and farmers. In addition, the styles of architecture varied from Gothic revival to neo-classical and made this location rich with socio- cultural heritage. Currently the entrance is in Lakeside Park. This is a community park that plays host to attractions like a beach, a carousal, a marina, beach volleyball courts, and a concession stand. The original entrance, although there is very little of it left, is still there as it apart of the marina. The rest of it is currently paved over to create a spacious parking lot for the park and its amenities. In 2008 the canal was actually dug up by archaeologist Jon Jouppien, to ensure and confirm the location and existence.

The map above shows an aerial view of the park that currently resides in the location that the first Welland Canal was constructed. This is currently a park called "Lakeside Park" where local residents and guests can come and view the marina and the famous green and white lighthouse. This park has many amenities including public parking, a playground, a carousel that was donated to the city, restrooms, concession stands, picnic tables, and volleyball courts. The location backs on to Lake Ontario and although on the water, swimming is not advised but not regulated. The park is currently undergoing renovations to include a new pavilion, renovated restrooms, electrical improvements, and accessibility upgrades (on the park and other locations). The entrance to the park is located around the Marina and Harbor Walkway Trail (this can be seen when zoomed in on the map). Directions to this location can easily be accessed through google maps.

The main reason why the canals were built was to ensure that the boats and other cargo ships could safely pass between the lakes and avoid Niagara Falls. At the time of the construction of the first the canal its locks had to be dug out by hand. The engineers had to find a way for water from different areas to enter one end and come out the other. Although the creation of the canal was some time ago, it is not all that hard to assume that when rerouting or creating major geographical structures like a 40 lock, 43.4km canal, species of plants, animals, and other organisms will also be impacted. They now have an ability to move freely just like boats and people do, they can cover more area, or have an opportunity to interact with other living things they may not be able to. Because the canal stretches so long and runs through one of Canada's great ecological treasures (the Niagara Escapement) it is safe to assume that when creating the canals many ecosystems where disrupted, one of which is the ecosystem of plants. Plants have many different layers to them; at the soil level, you have things like fungi and other decomposition nutrients as well as various types of soils that the plants in the area thrive on. Then there are understory plants, like bushes and shrubs, as well as plants like Poison Ivy, numerous flowers etc. There are also canopy plants like trees and other larger vegetation that canopies these lower levels. (Hough, 2004) If construction workers dig through these plants it disrupts the patterns that have been created. When building the Canal, the workers had to disrupt the plants and vegetation that where unfortunately on the construction site. Another major change that the canal brought was for the animal and wildlife species who were residing in the area. As mentioned above the creation of the canals allowed them better access to other areas they would not normally have access to if the canals had not been built. Through the connection with the Great Lakes, different forms of wildlife like algae, white perch, alewife, starry stonewort and other aquatic creatures develop their ecosystems and evolve as species. One major issue however is that when the canal is open it supports all this new growth and change, but when it closes and the canal is moved, all of the connections made with plants and animals will be disrupted and have to be regenerated in the new location making it very hard to survive. However, there are always two sides to the argument. As said by Michael Hough in his text, Cities and Natural Process, "the disturbance of the natural environment through human activity sets up imbalances in plant and animal communities," it could be hard to survive in these areas or "some modified landscapes where woodlands, field, scrub, wetland, or open water are associated may enhance species diversity" (Hough, 2004). With all the human activity and change, the entire landscape was altered and continues to be altered to this day. Natural selection had to have occurred with these plants or animals in order for them to fully survive in the new habitat.

As previously stated the First Welland Canal (and in fact all of the canals) were made by man for man. Dug out by hand with limited resources the canal stretched from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie for 43.4km. The canal crosses the Niagara Region. The Niagara Region is one of the most diverse and developed jurisdictions in Canada when it comes to the environment and geology, the canal stretches over the Niagara Escarpment (a UNSECO Biosphere). The original land of the region was under a shallow body of water and in the body of water was sand and clay. This then created sediment that forms the basis of the land. (Brown, Middleton, & Vaughan, 2010) The aquatic lime enriched materials also assisted in the development of the land. Layers of rock and aquatic structures underwent extensive periods of compression to create today's land (Brown, et. al, 2010) Over this period the land has been changed by so many natural and unnatural disturbances including glaciers, years of erosion, and compression of the soil. (Brown, et. al, 2010) The history of the soil and development has come a long way since the glaciers and the land being underwater. The layers of pressed clay and sand and sediment would have had to be dug out all along the Niagara region to have made any of the four canals.

The main reason that the canals were formed and built was for human use. They needed to get from one Great Lake to the other, and William Hamilton Merritt knew that the creation of the canals would bring more running water into his mills. The canals, being entirely man made, completely changed the underlying watershed of the Niagara region. An issue with this is in fact that, "In urban watersheds, these modifications of the water cycle threaten hydrological functions and, ultimately, the human and ecological functions that depend on them." (Alberti, 2008) When we as humans change major environmental characteristics of society, we need to allow for the surrounding area to adapt. On a more positive note, however, by changing and rerouting these hydraulic cycles this allowed the area to also flourish, not just environmentally but we as humans where able to move around, develop more areas and create the backbone for what is the Niagara region today. Currently, there is minimal evidence of the previous water way as the first Welland Canal is no longer functional or present. At the time of creation, the canal had water flowing in from Grand River, a feeder canal, as well as both of the Great Lakes. Due to the fact that the Welland Canal was entirely man made and all of the change to the water shed was human induced. And although the creators at the time did not have the technology that can be seen today (see the Rick Mercer Report video below for idea of how technology controls the water) they still were able to control the water levels and other important hydraulic facts. As the canal slowly went out of function the canal had to be drained, this changed the hydraulic process once again.

On average the region in Southern Canada where Lakeside Park, and the Welland Canals are located has seen an approximate weather pattern of having more precipitation, a tendency to have higher summer temperatures, and less frigid cold winters, this being in comparison to the northern parts of the country. (Sanderson, 2013) The area that the canals where created is within a close proximity to Niagara Falls and large bodies of water (the Great Lakes). This makes the area very windy and rainier than other locations inland. Originally, the water that entered the canals was not naturally made to be there, it has assisted in changing the climate where it was placed. Water can help change a climate. Because of the evaporation that has now been introduced into areas where it normally would not occur, the climate in these zones can help alter and assist the growing of vegetation and development of the natural surroundings. This overall makes the area where the canals are located more damp and less dry. Another way that the canals can assist in affecting the weather is that it opens up more entryways for wind. Niagara Falls and other large bodies of water produce a lot of wind. That wind is then funneled through the canals into areas it was not there before. "Wind affects temperatures, evaporation, the rate of moisture loss and transportation, from vegetation and drifting snow; all of which are particularity important to local micro-climate conditions." (Hough, 2004) By creating these new flow rates for this area it opens up areas that may not have gotten as much wind before or closed off some areas that were windy earlier on.

The earliest of settlers to inhabit the land that we now know as the Niagara region or the Niagara Greenbelt were the First Nations people, Iroquois specifically (although there where other tribes in the region). They were there centuries before any European settlement occurred. It is said that First Nations people entered the land approximately between 1300 and 1400 AD. There were many of them/there were numerous bands and they had a very well constructed hierarchy of individuals who governed in the region. The tribes all had a variety of skills including peace makers, warriors, farmers, and traders. All with different occupations and different uses for the land. Another group that resided in the Niagara region were the Seneca Native Americans; they lived closer to Lake Ontario. Over the years there were constant battles between the tribes who resided in the area, these battles where deadly fights mainly over land and development. It can be inferred that they were the first to develop the land and turn it into the farming land it is today. And that continued until the European settlers came, French being the first around 1600 AD. After the European settlers arrived, the land continued to develop and flourish. Their ideas and influence has created the architectural, industrial and agricultural region the Niagara green belt is today.

Currently residing in the third lock of the 4^th Welland canal at 1932 Welland Canals Pkwy in St. Catharines is the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Center. The museum is located on the canal itself where boats passing through can be seen and observed from an elevated observational platform. Visitors can watch as the boats enter the canal and make the trip through the canals and as they climb the escarpment. During the months of April to December boats can be viewed making the trek and the daily trip schedules can be found by calling the museum, on their social media pages (Facebook and twitter) or by visiting the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Vessel Transit information page. The Museum is opened year round from 9 am to 5pm and allows the general public to come and watch the boats, learn more about the canal's history both past and present, and enjoy the park and playground with family and friends. Some general features of the museum are:

-it is wheel chair accessible

-accessible bicycle and walking trails

-there are picnic tables

-a very open park lot

-observational deck

-children's play area

For more information on the museum it is helpful to visit the City of St. Catharines Website (https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/WellandCanalsCentre.asp )

During the time of the first Welland canal the introduction of the water way with improved access, set the stage for an economic boom. People seized the opportunity to develop businesses. Along the waterway stores, businesses and factories were established. This allowed for a great number of people to be employed in the area. Because of this growth people from all over, people with various levels of income and people from a variety of social classes came to the area to settle down bringing their local and nonlocal forms of architecture heritage with them. In places like Port Dalhousie buildings were created that (still to this day) have creation styles from the neo classical revival, Colonial, Italianate, Period revival, Bungalow and gothic revival eras. The majority of residences and buildings in the area are either bungalows or two stories, and were constructed mainly of stucco and brick as well as various types of wood. However, it is not terribly uncommon to find other synthetic materials like metals and vinyl sidings. Some buildings like St Andrews United Church are still in their original condition. The Port Dalhousie Heritage Society has currently put initiatives into place that encourage the constant upkeep and revival of buildings and architecture that proves to be historically significant. The Canal itself possessed 40 carved Oak locks and was dug out individually by man power using limited tools and resources.

As of this moment the entrance and main hub for the first Welland Canal is located along the marina in Lakeside Park, Port Dalhousie. This is a publicly funded municipal park that overlooks Lake Ontario and the Port Dalhousie Marina. It is a park designed for community involvement and activity. Attractions include the beach, volleyball courts and a hand carved carousal that can be ridden for 5 cents a person. In other canals (like the third), they have developed the bodies of water into rowing clubs or courses, or have boating rental offices (paddle boats, row boats, kayaks, canoes etc) along the canal that help facilitate outdoor adventures.

During the time that the first Welland Canal was functioning the ownership was given to many companies and people. The owners ranged from private, public, and even government owned and operated. The owners included the St. Laurence Seaway Company, William Hamilton Merritt (Private ownership) and the Niagara Region. Like mentioned previously the canal has gone through decades of changes. It has been torn down, buried, knocked over and left for rubble over time. In some areas, there is evidence of the Canal's existence but in other places, without previous knowledge you would have no idea that it ever occupied that space. The current entrance is located in a park that is cared for and maintained by the St Catharines Parks Department. The Canal itself is not tended, but the current ownership has taken the land and turned into a useful parking lot that helps relocate the flow of locals and tourists who make their way over to see the park and all it has to share. The Park itself is an open to the public. However, a permit needs to be bought and presented for commercial activities, unless for commercial reasons (like any park a permit needs to be brought and presented). The location is currently under the municipality of St Catharines and maintenance, authority, permit officiants etc. are all given out by the parks department for the region. However, the entire canal, because of how long and vast the location is, crosses multiple municipalities and jurisdictions, but overall is under the Niagara region and the Government of Ontario authority.

The First Welland Canal is located in the Niagara region running perpendicular to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Currently the entrance (overlooking Lake Ontario) is located (as previously mentioned) in Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie, St Catharines. Port Dalhousie is a small quaint heritage district in St. Catharines. With a lively downtown area, a gorgeous waterfront and many other attractions for locals and visitors to enjoy this is has become one of the area's most historic locations. Some attractions that the city has include the following:

-a bird sanctuary

-a 9/11 memorial that commemorates 27 Canadians killed in the disaster

-the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta

-the Port Dalhousie Lighthouse and marina

-a hand carved donated carousal

-the smallest jailhouse in Ontario

For more information visit the City of St. Catharines' website

The rest of the canal is located along the Niagara Region, one of Canada's greatest treasures. The Niagara Region is located in Southern Ontario and is made of 12 towns including: Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-lake, Niagara Falls, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet, Welland, and West Lincoln. The area, famous for its fruit farms and wineries, also plays host to the Niagara Escarpment. The Escarpment has recently been established as a UNESCO Biosphere, it protects numerous species of plants and animals that an individual can view from the numerous hiking trails (including the Bruce Trail). At the time of the first Welland Canal, the area was newly developed and recognized by European Settlers and the area began to flourish with the creation of the canals. Most of the backbone for towns that can be seen today were developed because of where the canal was located. Unfortunately, the first canal became obsolete with the creation of the second and third canal, but is still recognized for its important role in the development of the region.

For more information about any of the information given above please contact:

The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Center :

1932 Welland Canals Parkway,

St. Catharines, ON L2R 7K6

Open year round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m

website: https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/Wellan...

Phone Number: (905) 984-8880

Or the City of St. Catharines

PO Box 3012, 50 Church St.,

St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C2

City Hall Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Website: https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/index.asp

Phone:

TTY: 905.688.4TTY(4889)

Tel : 905.688.5600 | Fax: 905.682.3631

Phone & Email Service: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

About Ontario: First Nations. (2016, July 04). Exploring Ontario. Retrieved November 09, 2016, from http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/about/OI_ABOUT_PEOPLE_HISTORY.html

Alberti, M. (2008). Advances in urban ecology [electronic resource]: integrating humans and ecological processes in urban ecosystems / Marina Alberti. n.p.: New York: Springer, c2008., 2008. Brock University Library Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed August 27, 2014).

Aitken, H. G. J. (2014). The Family Compact and the Welland Canal Company. Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, 18(1), 63–76. doi: 10.1017/S0315489000011701.

Brown, David T., Middleton, John & Vaughan Katelyn. (2010). The Land Between the Lakes: An Overview of the Niagara Region. Invited introductory chapter in Black, John and Kayo J. Roy (eds.): Niagara Birds.

Heritage Assessment Report. (2000). The Port Dalhousie Heritage Conservation District Study. Archeological Services Inc. (Accessed November 7, 2016).

Hough, Michael. (2004). Cities and Natural Process: A Basis for Sustainability. London: Routledge, 2004. Brock University eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed November 9, 2016).

Jackson, John N. (1997). The Welland Canals and their communities: Engineering, industrial, and urban transformation. Toronto: U of Toronto, Print.

Larkin, J. D. (1994). The canal era: A study of the original Erie and Welland Canals within the Niagara borderland. The American Review of Canadian Studies, 24(3), 299-314.

New York State. Common Aquatic Invasive Species of New York. Department of Environmental Conservation. (Accessed November 3, 2016).

Sanderson, Marie. (2013). Climate. Historical Canada, The Canadian Encyclopedia. (Accessed November 8, 2016)

Welland Canals Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved November 09, 2016, from https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/WellandCanalsCentre.asp

Agostinelli, Gianluca. (Photographer). (2016). An inspiring view of the Niagara River Rapids at Devils Hole. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.niagararegion.ca/more/photos.aspx?navfeat=1

Akkerman, Tony (Photograpgher/ Painter). (1984). Lake schooner "York" navigates the first Welland Canal. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=91410&b=1

Brown, Alan L. (Photographer). (2004). The first Welland Canal 1824-1833. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Niagara46.html

Chen, Arthur. (Photographer). (2016). Ship Rolling Through Lock 3 in St. Catharines. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.niagararegion.ca/more/photos.aspx?navfeat=1

Drakeford, Anthony. (Photographer). (2016). The sun sets over the beach at Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie as summer starts winding down. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.niagararegion.ca/more/photos

Edmonson, Ellen, & Chrisp, Hugh. (Photographer). (n/a) Illustration of an alewife prepared as part of the 1927–1940 New York Biological Survey conducted by the Conservation Department. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/perspectives/262286/restoration-of-the-alewife Flagg, Racheal. (Photographer). (2016). A little White Church in the woods. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.niagararegion.ca/more/photos.aspx?navfeat=1

Hunter, Brock. (Photographer). (n/a). Port Dalhousie Carousal. Digital image. Retrieved from: https://www.redbubble.com/people/brockhunter/works/5484205-port-dalhousie-carousel

Martineau, Alain. (Photographer). (1974) 8¢ William Hamilton Merritt-The Welland Canal 1974. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.allnumis.com/stamps-catalog/canada/people-personalities-man/8-william-hamilton-merritt-the-welland-canal-1974-4095

Mercer, Rick (Director, producer,). (2013). RMR: Rick and the Welland Canal. Short Clip. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv9rNEVNIPg

N/A. (January, 2015). White Perch (Morone americana). Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.delaware-surf-fishing.com/delaware-fish-id/white-perch-morone-americana/

Pepper, George B. (donated by). (1936). Ariel View of the First Welland Canal at Merritton. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=99152&b=1

Simpson, Charles. (Photographer). (1829). Welland Ship Canal-First Welland Canal. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?b=1&id=91408

The City of St. Catharines (Photographer). (2016). Site plan proposal for Lakeside Park. Digital Image. Retrieved from: https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/playin/LakesidePark.asp

The Niagara Guide. (Photographer). (n/a). The St. Catharines Museum. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.theniagaraguide.com/heritage/st-catharines-museum/

Third Eye Photography. (n/a). The Port Dalhousie Lighthouse. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://thirdeyephotography.wix.com/thirdeyephotography#!portfolio

Vitaldrum (Photographer). (2014). The Niagara Escarpment. Digital Image. Retrieved from: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/niagara-escarpment/

This Local Landscape Report was prepared by Sarah Albanese for the Brock University course TOUR 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems on November 04, 2016.

All copyrights for cited material rest with the original copyright owners.