Rideau Canal

Ontario
Geographical Location:
45° N – 76° W

The Rideau Canal includes the 202-km-long canal built in 1826-1832 as part of Britain's strategy for the defence of British North America, and its associated cultural landscape.

© Morin, B.

The Rideau Canal is the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century that remains operational along its original line and with most of its original structures intact. It is also one of the first canals designed specifically for steam-powered vessels. It is an outstanding technological achievement in terms of its ingenious design, high-quality construction and physical challenges. The associated land use patterns of the Rideau corridor are also an exceptional example of the opening of the North American hinterland for settlement and economic development in the early 19th century.