Combined Lock 29a signage, Smiths Falls

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Photographs

Description

Located near Beckwith Street bridge at Canal Street.

Notes

Signage for the 7.9 m (26 ft.) high automated single chamber lock built which was built in 1974 to replace the original historic 1829 combined lock 28, 29 and 30.

The text reads: "Welcome to Combined Locks / This lockstation is one in the chain of rivers, lakes and waterway structures that make up the Rideau Canal. Built under the direction of the British military between 1826 and 1832 to serve as a supply route, the canal is an outstanding example of 19th century ingenuity in the fields of construction and engineering. A large number of original canal structures are still in existence today. / Here at the Combined Locks, old and new technology stand side by side. The original flight of three locks was completed in 1831. These were replaced by a single automated lock in 1974 when a fixed bridge was constructed over the canal to accommodate increasing automobile traffic. The old locks while not operational, have been preserved for viewing. By crossing the locks and following the pathway beneath the bridge you will find another piece of the lockstation's past, a defensible lockmaster's house built in 1841. / The Rideau Canal is a part of Canada's family of National Historic Sites. It is maintained and operated by Parks Canada. / At Smiths Falls, the Rideau River descends almost 11 metres in less than 1/2 kilometre. To make that drop navigable, canal engineers designed an upper, detached lock connected to a long basin and three lower locks entering into the next reach. A waste weir and a 7-metre-high stone arch dam were built on the north side of the basin to control the water level."

For further information see:

Please see the links at the right of this catalogue record.

Ken W. Watson. A history of the Rideau lockstations. Smith Falls, Ont. : Friends of the Rideau, 2000.

Glenn J. Lockwood. "Smiths Falls: A Social History of the Men and Women in a Rideau Canal Community 1794-1994." Smiths Falls: Corporation of the Town of Smiths Falls, 1994.

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