The First Lock canal in North America
The construction of the canal at Coteau-du-Lac began in 1779 under the command of William Twiss. Soldiers in the King's Royal Regiment of New York, a colonial unit made up of Loyalists, were mobilized to dig the canal out of rock using rudimentary tools and techniques. When construction was completed in 1781, the canal was more than 100 m long and 2.5 m wide. Each of the three locks was 12 m long and 1.8 m wide, with draft measuring close to 80 cm. Taken together, these locks compensated for a drop of about 2 m between the head and the bottom of the rapids. The canal was the first work of its kind in North America. Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site, Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec.
The First Lock canal in North America
The construction of the canal at Coteau-du-Lac began in 1779 under the command of William Twiss. Soldiers in the King's Royal Regiment of New York, a colonial unit made up of Loyalists, were mobilized to dig the canal out of rock using rudimentary tools and techniques. When construction was completed in 1781, the canal was more than 100 m long and 2.5 m wide. Each of the three locks was 12 m long and 1.8 m wide, with draft measuring close to 80 cm. Taken together, these locks compensated for a drop of about 2 m between the head and the bottom of the rapids. The canal was the first work of its kind in North America. Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site, Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec.