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description |
the rideau canal, a monumental early 19th-century construction covering 202 km of the rideau and cataraqui rivers from ottawa south to kingston harbour on lake ontario, was built primarily for strategic military purposes at a time when great britain and the united states vied for control of the region. the site, one of the first canals to be designed specifically for steam-powered vessels, also features an ensemble of fortifications. it is the best-preserved example of a slackwater canal in north america, demonstrating the use of this european technology on a large scale. it is the only canal dating from the great north american canal-building era of the early 19th century to remain operational along its original line with most of its structures intact. |
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