The original Royal Canadian Henley Rowing course terminated opposite the current grandstand, and rowers would exit the water very near this spot via the dock pictured, to store their boats in a nearby canal building. Rowers often shared the Henley basin with ships coming to or from the dry dock until 1968 when those operations were moved to the Port Weller Dry Dock. Rennie Park was opened in 1978 by infilling the yard and the channel pictured.
Changes to the Landscape
Port Dalhousie went through one of the most dramatic urban development and landscape changes in 20th century St. Catharines history. The old Welland Canal lands and the old Dry Dock lands were infilled to create Rennie Park in the 1970s. Several buildings were demolished here at Lock 1 but also near Lakeside Park. Several beautification projects have healed these scars well, but the landscape and streetscape are, in some ways, unrecognizable from the Fire Insurance Plan page below, drawn in 1929, and the aerial photographs of the same scene in 1955.
Of particular interest is the secondary building to the west of the main Dominion Rubber building, linked by a second story bridge. Lakeport Road was sent underneath that bridge, between the buildings, over a small bridge spanning the flume entrance from the pond, then onto another small bridge crossing the end of Lock 1. Today, the expanded and repointed Lockport Road can feel clogged on busy days. Imagine today’s traffic on this little industrial road!
The story of Rennie Park is well documented in our blog series about the history of city parks, but the disappearance of the old Muir Brothers Dry Docks after Port Weller Dry Docks closed the yard and moved all their operations to Port Weller, marked another significant shift.
The infill of the approach to Lock 1, repointing of Lakeport Road, and the infill to create Rennie Park meant that the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course had to change some of their operations. In the era the photo of the 4-man crew was captured, races would end where they do today at the Grandstand. Then, rowers would have to navigate their way to the dock in the image and carry their shells across the road to the government yard for storage. That could be risky as they shared the basin with freighters arriving to the dry docks through Lock 1 of the Third Canal. Today, rowers return to Henley Island after a race to disembark and store rowing shells.
There’s More to the Story
Check out the entire History InSite installation across Merritton, downtown St. Catharines and in Port Dalhousie.
About History InSite
A permanent, site specific installation, History InSite juxtaposes historical photographs with modern streetscapes by presenting the photo in, or close to, the place which it was taken.
St. Catharines has a rich photographic history and when compared to the changing streetscapes around the City, that history becomes much more meaningful, poignant, and relevant to our modern eyes.
The Downtown series was installed in July 2021. The Port Dalhousie series was installed in May 2022. The Merritton series was installed in May 2023. Additions to each installation are made on an annual rotation.
History InSite is presented by the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre.
Graffiti Report
If you spot any graffiti on our purple History InSite signs, please send us a message.