KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
The Lost Villages Museum was created to commemorate those families and small villages affected by the expansion and flooding of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Located just east of Long Sault, the museum in Ault Park is a collection of ten heritage buildings that were moved and restored from the villages that were dismantled, including Aultsville, Dickinson’s Landing, Farran’s Point, Iroquois, Maple Grove, Mille Roches, Morrisburg, Moulinette, Santa Cruz, Sheik Island, Wales and Woodlands.
Considered to be a construction marvel of the twentieth century, the St. Lawrence Seaway expansion began in 1954 to connect Montreal to Lake Ontario via seven locks that were built along a 306-kilometre stretch of water. The locks allowed ships to be slowly lifted 75 metres above sea level as they travelled the St. Lawrence from Montreal to Lake Ontario and onward from there, connecting to the Welland Canal system. It was an engineering feat by 22,000 workers, moving millions of metres of earth & stone, pouring millions of metres of concrete.
But at the same time the trees, rocks and stones were removed to make way for the Seaway, over 6,500 people who lived at “The Front” as they called it, lost their churches, businesses, farms and homes to the St. Lawrence Seaway. Building the Seaway was a joint government and Ontario Hydro project, but for many, their homes and land were expropriated without fair compensation. Some families were fortunate to have their houses moved by massive equipment that removed the house from its foundation, transported it to the new, planned villages of Ingleside or Long Sault and set it upon a new foundation. Other families cried as they watched their homes, not sturdy enough to be moved, burned to the ground. The homes that were moved required indoor plumbing to be installed along with furnaces for heat.
Some buildings were eventually relocated to Upper Canada Village which opened in the early 1960s, and stand today, along with the Lost Villages Museum at Ault Park, as testament to the communities that were flooded. Sadly, even the remains of family in cemeteries are under the deep waters of the St. Lawrence, as graves were only moved by request. Railway lines were relocated out of the areas to be flooded, but the original Highway 2 was flooded and can still be seen underwater. Even some stone foundations of homes and churches remain visible from above.
Completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway was in 1958, opened by Queen Elizabeth II, with the first ship to travel through the waterway in 1959. It was expected that the new settlements would experience population booms and economic boost. Unfortunately, the new towns couldn’t replace the quaint villages to travel through along the water’s edge and the area lost some of its attraction to tourists. For those that lost their homes, farms and businesses, the experience was challenging & emotional, with a sadness that still lingers today.
The Lost Villages Museum allows visitors to step inside some of the buildings rescued before the floodwaters rose. The museum provides an opportunity to learn about the families that had to move to allow for progress – although the necessity of forcing the relocation and subsequent flooding of homes and businesses does come into question. The Lost Villages Museum gives visitors a glimpse into the more recent history of Canada, the stories of those that lived in places no longer existing and the sacrifices families made to make way for the St. Lawrence Seaway. Visit the Lost Villages Museum website at www.lostvillages.ca for details on seasonal hours.
L’article <b>Lost Villages – A Glimpse into the Past</b> est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
