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Murray Canal

Canals in OntarioCanals opened in 1889
Three proposed routes for a short canal connecting the Bay of Quinte with Lake Ontario, 1868
Three proposed routes for a short canal connecting the Bay of Quinte with Lake Ontario, 1868

The Murray Canal is a canal in the municipalities of Quinte West and Brighton, Ontario, Canada, and runs from the western end of the Bay of Quinte to Presqu'ile Bay on Lake Ontario. It is approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) in length and has a maximum depth of 9 feet (2.7 m). The canal shortens the trip for boats wishing to access Lake Ontario from the central and western Bay of Quinte by avoiding having to go around the whole peninsula of Prince Edward County. The canal was proposed as early as 1796 and land was set aside by the government of Upper Canada. However, the Welland Canal and the Rideau Canal were seen as more important and construction was delayed. Construction was begun in 1882 and because of problems with unstable banks it took until 1889 to complete the canal. The canal is crossed by two swing bridges (Ontario Highway 33 and County Rd 64). An unused railway bridge is kept permanently open but the former CN Rail tracks have since been removed with the creation of the Millennium Trail. A swing bridge at Hutchison Road has been removed with only the bridge footings remaining. The canal saw many years of use with coal and other commercial boats, but after the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, the traffic declined. Since then there has been a steady rise in recreational use and today the Murray Canal is used by boaters who visit the Trent–Severn Waterway.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Murray Canal (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Murray Canal
Canal Road, Quinte West

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Wikipedia: Murray CanalContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 44.046944444444 ° E -77.6275 °
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Address

Canal Road

Canal Road
K0K 1L0 Quinte West
Ontario, Canada
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Three proposed routes for a short canal connecting the Bay of Quinte with Lake Ontario, 1868
Three proposed routes for a short canal connecting the Bay of Quinte with Lake Ontario, 1868
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Brighton, Ontario
Brighton, Ontario

Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) east of Toronto and 100 km (62 mi) west of Kingston. It is traversed by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. The west end of the Murray Canal that leads east to the Bay of Quinte is at the east end of the town. Brighton later developed into primarily an agricultural community, specializing in the farming of apples and production of new apple types. However, in recent years, many of the original orchards in the area have been partially removed, to make way for the steadily growing population, and more profitable agricultural produce, such as wheat, corn and soybeans. In late September, Brighton is host to Applefest, its largest yearly festival. The Municipality of Brighton (formed on January 1, 2001, through an amalgamation of the former Town of Brighton and Brighton Township) is home to over 12,108 inhabitants, with a higher than average percentage of those retired. This is common, as the quiet, clean and friendly atmosphere of many smaller towns near Lake Ontario tend to draw the elderly as popular places for retirement living. Presqu'ile Provincial Park, just south of the town centre, is one of Brighton's most popular attractions. The park is noted for bird-watching and other nature-oriented activities. Memory Junction Railway Museum, located in a former Grand Trunk station, has a collection of rail equipment and memorabilia.