Shubenacadie Canal

Shubenacadie Canal
View of Shubenacadie Canal in Shubie Park.
Specifications
Length	114 km (71 mi)
Locks	1 operational (Lock 5) (originally 9 locks & 2 inclined planes)
Maximum height above sea level	31 m (102 ft) at Lake Charles
Status	Closed
History
Original owner	Shubenacadie Canal Co.
Principal engineer	Francis Hall
Construction began	1826
Date of first use	1856
Date completed	1861
Date closed	1871
Geography
Direction	North/South
Start point	Halifax Harbour (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
End point	Cobequid Bay (Maitland, Nova Scotia)
Beginning coordinates	44°40′N 63°34′W / 44.66°N 63.56°W / 44.66; -63.56
Ending coordinates	45°19′N 63°29′W / 45.32°N 63.49°W / 45.32; -63.49

Coordinates: 44°42′6.5″N 63°33′15.6″W / 44.701806°N 63.554333°W / 44.701806; -63.554333

The Shubenacadie Canal is a Canadian canal in central Nova Scotia, linking Halifax Harbour with the Bay of Fundy by way of the Shubenacadie River and Shubenacadie Grand Lake. Begun in 1826, it was not completed until 1861 and was closed in 1871. Currently small craft use the river and lakes, but only one lock is operational. Three of the nine locks have been restored to preserve their unique fusion of British and North American construction techniques. More extensive restoration is planned.

The Shubenacadie Canal was envisioned to facilitate transportation between Halifax and the agricultural, timber and coal producing areas of northern Nova Scotia and the Annapolis Valley. Construction was started in 1826 by the Shubenacadie Canal Co. which went bankrupt in 1831. Several Scottish and Irish stonemasons had immigrated to Nova Scotia to work on the project but were left stranded in the colony with few resources after the project had halted. Construction started again in 1854 under the Inland Navigation Company. The new company altered the original British stonework lock designs to use more inexpensive North American stone and wooden construction. Steam boats and barges began to use the canal in 1856 and the entire system was completed by 1861. The canal enjoyed a few years of healthy traffic especially during the Waverley gold rushes of the 1860s. However the canal company showed little profit and experienced many problems relating to frigid winters which damaged the locks linking the freshwater lakes.