St.+Lawrence+Seaway+completed

=St. Lawrence Seaway=

**Overview**
The St. Lawrence Seaway is an engineering masterpiece. The groundbreaking took place in 1954 and the opening ceremonies happened on April 25, 1959. This new system of canals, waterways, and locks gave ships a new and faster way to get to the great lakes. America and Canada worked together to create the seaway strengthening out relations with them.

**Main Point**
The St. Lawrence Seaway was an idea that dated back over 50 years before it was ever created. There were two main problems that got into the way of creating it. The first was that Canada didn't entirely support it. The second was that coastal ports and railway companies sent their lobbyists to the capitol to prolong its construction as long as possible. Once Canada and the U.S. had agree on the basics, they began construction in 1954. Once Canada was for construction of the seaway, there was little that the lobbyists could do to prevent construction. The construction of the seaway wasn't the only being constructed. Hydroelectric generators were being built all along the river also. The 800 mile canal was finally finished in 1959. It now connects the heart of the U.S. over 2400 miles all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

==**Conclusion/ Historical Significance **== When the Seaway was completed, President Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II led the opening ceremonies. After a short speech by Eisenhower, the two took the first official ride part way through the seaway. The Construction of the seaway cost the U.S. almost 500 million dollars. Along with the up-front cost of the damn, the Erie Canal was now rarely used. This caused financial heart-ache on most of the towns built on the canal. However the new towns that where created and the economies cash flow that the St. Lawrence Seaway has created clearly outweighs its former costs.

News Articles

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The Evening Independent