The Construction of The Saint Lawrence Seaway

“The Saint Lawrence Seaway”

The Saint Lawrence Seaway is formed by the Saint Lawrence River and several lakes and canals. Ships use the seaway to sail between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. Initial construction began in 1954. It involved cooperation from the Canadian and American government.

One of the first construction problems was moving the people who lived nearby the canals and lakes. They had to move because the area had to be flooded to provide sufficient depth and power pools. The Canadian side, which was densely populated, presented more problems since the flooding of this section involved the movement of6,500 people to other towns. But, unlike the situation on Canadian side, the American side did not present much of the relocation difficulty because of its thin population.

Adapted from The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, Volume 10