See the Rideau Canal and the Locks (this is a picture of the locks.) I just missed the opportunity to skate - :(
The Rideau Canal is North America's oldest operating 19th-century canal. Most of the locks are still cranked open by old-fashioned muscle power.
The original purpose of the Rideau Canal was to provide a safe supply route between Montreal and the Great Lakes in case of attack by the United States.
The canal was one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century requiring the construction of 24 dams and 46 locks.
The area was a wilderness when the Canal was built -- despite the northern climate, many of the workers died from malaria in the mosquito-infested swamps.
At the Ottawa River end of the Canal, head engineer, Lieutenant Colonel John By, founded a community called Bytown. It later changed its name to Ottawa and became the Capital of Canada.
In the winter, the Ottawa portion of the Canal is made into a gigantic skating rink the longest in the world.
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on Aug 25, 2002
