| One only needs to have a slight idea of how | | | | shipping to avoid the Niagara Falls region of |
| Canada's geography takes shape in order to | | | | the St. Lawrence River. Today, over forty |
| understand the perhaps fanatical emphasis | | | | million tonnes of cargo is carried through |
| Canadians and their governments have always | | | | this canal by ships each year! |
| placed on transportation. Canada and many | | | | |
| other "New World" countries (including the | | | | One can only imagine the new opportunities |
| United States) have traditionally placed a | | | | that were opened up with the completion of |
| great value on the importance of | | | | the first Welland Canal in 1829. In fact, |
| transportation, largely due to the fact that | | | | compared to the Canal today, this operation |
| in order for these huge countries to stay | | | | might well be considered small time. |
| cohesive both politically and economically, | | | | |
| there has to be a great transportation | | | | The Second Welland Canal opened in 1854, and |
| infrastructure in place. For Old World | | | | was a much larger investment both of public |
| countries, size usually wasn't a factor, but | | | | and private money. After seeing how a canal |
| when it comes to the sprawling expanses of | | | | could open up the trade possibilities of the |
| North America and the unique geographical | | | | interior, many interests became involved. The |
| challenge within it; any construction of a | | | | giants of industry in those days specialized |
| major transportation system was and is a big | | | | in transportation (the railroad developers |
| endeavour. | | | | and so on) and shipping was no exception, |
| | | | thus the opening of the canal was a very |
| In Canada, one of the great historical | | | | formalized event. It included a ceremonial |
| challenges was to provide a way for goods to | | | | recognition of the first trip up the canal by |
| move from the Great Lakes to the open ocean, | | | | hanging a top hat (indicative of wealth and |
| thus avoiding the high costs (and sometimes | | | | power) on both the hull of the ship and the |
| impossibility) of transport overland. The | | | | first bridge on the canal. |
| answer was to build canals that ran from the | | | | |
| Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. | | | | Today, the Top Hat Ceremony has continued, |
| | | | both as a demonstration of prestige and for |
| One of the most celebrated of these canals is | | | | reasons of good luck. Each year, the first up |
| the Welland Canal. Located in Ontario, the | | | | bound ship going through the canal is |
| canal runs from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It | | | | honoured with a ceremony and the presentation |
| is part of a series of canals that allows | | | | of the lucky Top Hat. |