Murray Canal
Encyclopedia
The Murray Canal is a canal in the Municipalities of Quinte West and Brighton, Ontario
, Canada, and runs from the western end of the Bay of Quinte
to Presqu’ile Bay which opens into Lake Ontario
. It is approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) in length. The canal shortens the trip by boats by avoiding having to go around the whole of the isthmus of Prince Edward County
.
The canal was proposed as early as 1796 and land was set aside by the government of Upper Canada
. However, the Welland Canal
and the Rideau Canal
were seen as more important and construction was delayed. Construction was begun in 1882 and because of problems with unstable banks it took till 1889 to complete the canal.
The canal is crossed by two swing bridges (Highway 33 and County Rd 64) and an unused railway bridge still exists but is kept permanently open.
The canal saw many years of use with coal and other commercial boats but with the advent in the 1950’s of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
the traffic declined. Since then there has been a steady rise in recreational use and today the Murray Canal is used by boaters who visit the Trent-Severn Waterway
.
Brighton, Ontario
Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal....
, Canada, and runs from the western end of the Bay of Quinte
Bay of Quinte
The Bay of Quinte is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
to Presqu’ile Bay which opens into Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. It is approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) in length. The canal shortens the trip by boats by avoiding having to go around the whole of the isthmus of Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
.
The canal was proposed as early as 1796 and land was set aside by the government of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. However, the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
and the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
were seen as more important and construction was delayed. Construction was begun in 1882 and because of problems with unstable banks it took till 1889 to complete the canal.
The canal is crossed by two swing bridges (Highway 33 and County Rd 64) and an unused railway bridge still exists but is kept permanently open.
The canal saw many years of use with coal and other commercial boats but with the advent in the 1950’s of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
the traffic declined. Since then there has been a steady rise in recreational use and today the Murray Canal is used by boaters who visit the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
.