Collection search - Rideau Canal [textual record]

Record information – Brief
1
Rideau Canal [textual record]

Hierarchical level:

Series

Date:

1834-1964

Reference:

R610-181-0-E, RG43-C-I

Type of material:

Textual material

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

134594

Context of this record:

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Department of Railways and Canals fonds

Rideau Canal
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Record information – Details

Series includes:

18 lower level description(s)
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Date(s):

1834-1964

Bilingual equivalent:

Click here

Place of creation:

No place, unknown, or undetermined

Extent:

11.6 m of textual records

Language of material:

English

Scope and content:

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Series consists of records created and maintained in the Office of the Superintending Engineer of the Rideau Canal as well as records maintained by the local lockmaster at individual lock stations on the Rideau Canal system. When the Department of Railways and Canals was created in 1879, it assumed responsibility for Canada's canal systems. The Canal Branch of the new department was organized to supervise the operation, maintenance and enlargement of the various canals in Canada, and to arrange for the construction of new ones if required. In 1879, the canal systems in Canada included the Rideau Canal.

The Rideau Canal was built as a military measure by the Royal Engineers to enable vessels to travel from Montreal to Lake Ontario via the Ottawa River. It extends from Ottawa to Kingston, a total distance of 203.2 kilometers, including 26.5 kilometers of artificial canal. Construction of the canal commenced in 1826 and was completed six years later. In the 1890s the Tay Branch was constructed to connect the town of Perth with the Lower Rideau Lake. The Rideau Canal never served any military purpose, but was an important waterway for commercial traffic until World War I; since then, it has assumed a significant recreational role in the region.

Additional information:

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Source of title:

Title is based on the contents of the series.

Availability of other formats note:

Microfilm copies of some of this material are available on reels C-11710 to C-11711, T-2469 to T-2502, and T-2767 to T-2773. See the sub-sub-series descriptions for further information.

Accruals:

No further accruals are expected.

Related material:

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It should be noted that for the period prior to 1879, departmental records concerning the construction and operation of canals can be located in the records of the Board of Works and the Department of Public Works, MIKAN 22 (RG11). The Canal Branch correspondence described in MIKAN 134578 (RG43-B-1) also includes files on the development and operation of each canal in Canada; additional material relating to Canada's canals is available in the records of Transport Canada, MIKAN 23 (RG 12)., Researchers interested in the operations or history of individual lock stations should also consult the letterbooks of the Superintending Engineer as well as the Canal Branch records described in the Canal Branch series, MIKAN 134577, RG43-B. The Andrew Merrilees Collection, in the Manuscript Division (MIKAN 102280, MG 31, series A10) contains original Rideau Canal records including lock records from the following locations: Lower Brewers' Mills, 1860-1862; Merrickville, 1837-1860; and Old Sly's, 1834-1880. A small collection of similar records for the locks at Burritt's Rapids, Chaffey's and Poonamalie are in the custody of the Manuscript Division, PAC (The Historical Society of Ottawa fonds, MIKAN ------, MG 9, series D8-68).

Source:

Government

Related control no.:

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1983-84/025 GAD
RG43-C-1

Former archival reference no.:

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RG43-C-I
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Textual records

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Copyright belongs to the Crown. In order to protect the fragile originals, the microfilm copies of these records must be consulted rather than the originals.

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