St Peters Canal
Posted by: 
stagunner
N 45° 39.370 W 060° 52.073
20T E 666113 N 5058057
St Peters Canal on Cape Breton Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bras D'or Lakes.
Waymark Code: WM2KYD
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Posted: 11/18/2007
Views: 48
St. Peter's Canal links the Atlantic Ocean to the vast Bras d'Or lakes. The canal is an ideal spot from which to watch small craft pass through the lock system of this 140-year old canal.
The St. Peters Canal is a small shipping canal located in eastern Canada on Cape Breton Island. It crosses an isthmus in the village of St. Peter's, Nova Scotia which connects St. Peters Inlet of Bras d'Or Lake to the north with St. Peters Bay of the Atlantic Ocean to the south.
Pre-dated by a "haulover road" across the isthmus established by French fur trader Nicholas Denys in 1650, a feasibility study was conducted in 1825 into the possibility of building a canal. Construction began in 1854 and was completed in 1869, resulting in a channel measuring 800 m (2,600 ft) long and an average of 30 m (100 ft) wide. The canal passes through a 20 m (65 ft) high hill composed of solid granite, accounting for the 15 years for its construction. There can be a tidal difference of up to 1.4 m (4.5 ft) between Bras d'Or Lake and the Atlantic Ocean, thus a lock was designed to regulate water levels.
The St. Peters Canal saw relatively heavy use by commercial shipping in the 1800s and early 1900s, during an era of industrial expansion on Cape Breton Island, however the canal soon became too small for modern ships and saw use primarily by pleasure boats since the end of the Second World War. The canal was designated a National Historic Site in 1925 and is now operated and maintained by Parks Canada.
Parks Canada undertook a major project to restore both entrances to the canal in 1985. The St. Peters Canal is operational from May to October each year. Vessels transiting the canal are limited by the size of the lock, which measures 91.44 m (301 ft) long, 14.45 m (47 ft) wide, and 4.88m (16 ft) draught.
Waterway Name: St Peters Canal
Connected Points:
St Peters Inlet and Atlantic ocean
Type: Lock
Date Opened: 01/01/1869
Elevation Difference (meters): 1.00
Site Status: Operational
Web Site: [Web Link]
Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Logs marked as “visits” should be made after physically visiting the waymark location. Include a picture taken during the visit. Notes may be logged by individuals who have visited the web site or looked at the online information and would like to provide comments or feedback on the waymark.