Series consists of records created and maintained by the Department of Railways and Canals relating to the St. Lawrence Canals. The series includes records from the following creating bodies: Office of the Superintending Engineer, St. Lawrence District; Office of the Engineer, Williamsburg Canals; Collector of Tolls, Murray Canal; Office of the Superintending Engineer, Soulanges Canal; and Resident Engineer, Cornwall Canal.
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 St. Lawrence canals.
The St. Lawrence River, between Lake St. Louis and Lake Ontario, is a critical link in the navigation of the river and the Great Lakes. To overcome the hindrance to navigation presented by rapids, canals were constructed at various locations as early as the late eighteenth century. Following the union of the Canadas in 1841 the older canals were replaced at Beauharnois, Cornwall, Farran's Point, Rapide Plat and Galops. The need for further improvements became obvious, and in the 1870s the work of enlarging the Cornwall Canal commenced. The remaining canals were enlarged and improved gradually, and the work was not completed until 1913. The Beauharnois Canal was abandoned and replaced by the Soulanges canal in the 1890s. The St. Lawrence canals played an important role in the navigation of the Great Lakes until they were replaced by the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s. Also included in the St. Lawrence canals are the Murray Canal on the Bay of Quinte and St. Peter's Canal in Cape Breton.
