Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ingpeopletosmalltownsalongitsincetheearly1800s.TownssuchasSt.Catharines,Wel-
land, Thorold, and Port Colborne were founded and then thrived because of this waterway.
Today,thetownsalongthecanallooktotheWellandCanalfortransportation,aswellas
recreation, tourism, and community identity. Together, they make up a vibrant corridor that
redefines the role of the Welland Canal and embraces its industrial heritage. Tourists who
viewthemagnificentlakefreightersonthecanalarediscoveringreasonstostaylonger:en-
gaging museums, heritage sites, and entertaining festivals.
Adjacent to the southern portion of the canal is Fort Erie. This fort is steeped in the his-
tory of the War of 1812, when it guarded the mouth of the Niagara River and witnessed
Canada'sbloodiestbattle.Today,thefort'sgunsarequiet;theformerfortressisnowasym-
bol of 200 years of peace between Canada and the United States.
Known as the garden city because it contains more than 1,000 acres of parkland and trails,
St. Catharines is the Niagara region's largest municipality. This region is where the Wel-
land Canal was developed by its tireless champion William Hamilton Merritt. Merritt had
served for the crown during the War of 1812 when he devised the idea to create a canal to
bypassNiagaraFalls.St.Catharinesgrewinpopulation,politicalimportance,andwealthas
the Welland Canal prospered.
During the mid-1800s, the city earned a reputation for supporting the abolitionist move-
ment.FormerandescapedslavesfoundawelcomingcommunityinSt.Catharines;by1850,
800 of the town's 6,000 residents were black.
The city's population soared from 40,000 in 1950 to 130,000 by the 1980s due to the
availability of manufacturing jobs at plants like GM of Canada. Since the turn of the cen-
tury, St. Catharines has seen manufacturing jobs being replaced by jobs in the service in-
dustry, especially for call centers.
