Ever heard about the Lost Villages of Ontario? Underneath the Saint Lawrence Seaway lay ten settlements submerged inside a watery grave. The Lost Villages are nine villages along with a populated island which were flooded once the Saint Lawrence Seaway was built-in 1958. They are in the Canadian province of Ontario, within the former townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck (now South Stormont) near Cornwall.
One can find ancient lost cities submerged in the sea within the Mediterranean (such as the lost town of Thonis in Egypt) as well as the ancient submerged Greek town of Pavlopetri (that one can snorkel). But while those cities was a victim of the waves by calamities of nature, the Lost Cities of Canada were deliberately inundated by man.
The Story Behind The Lost Villages Of Canada
The settlements were inundated through the construction from the Moses-Saunders Power Dam that was an element of the greater St. Lawrence Seaway system. While some parts of the American shoreline in New York were also flooded, no settlements on the American side were inundated.
The St. Lawrence Seaway is really a major system of locks, channels, and canals in both the United States and Canada that link the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches as far inland as Duluth in Minnesota in the western extent from the massive Lake Superior.
- Construction: Began In 1954 on The Moses-Saunders Power Dam
- Submerged: By The Creation of The Saint Lawrence Seaway
- Date: 8 a.m. on 1 July 1958 (Whenever a Large Cofferdam Was Demolished And also the Flooding Started
Fate Of The Residents And What Can Be Seen Underwater
Of course, it had been known the dam would flood these settlements, so before it accomplished it, the affected families and businesses were gone to live in the new planned communities of Long Sault and Ingleside. Some of the residents felt such as the true worth of their properties was not fully compensated.
In total, around 6,500 people ended up displaced with 530 buildings moved and thousands of homes and schools destroyed.
- Displaced: Around 6,500 Everyone was Displaced
Today there is not that much to see from the old settlements, although in some places remnants of the sidewalks and building foundations can nonetheless be seen under the water. When the level from the lake is low enough, a number of them reemerge towards the surface.
Divers can even stick to the sidewalks and also the roads from the abandoned submerged settlements.
The 10 Lost Villages Of Canada
- Crysler's Farm: The Monument Commemorating A Major Battle of 1812 Was Gone to live in Upper Canada Village
- Iroquois: A Town That Was Relocated Miles Towards the North And Not Abandoned
- Morrisburg: Partially Submerged With Parts Moved To A Higher Site
- Aultsville: Inundated, First Settled By Disbanded Soldiers from the King's Royal Regiment of recent York. Originally Called Charlesville
- Dickinson's Landing: Inundated – Would be a Typical Village of the Area
- Farran's Point: Inundated – First Settled In 1811
- Maple Grove: Inundated – The place Of Lock 20, Roberston Creek
- Mille Roches: Inundated – Means Thousand Rocks in French
- Moulinette: Inundated – Had 311 Inhabitants When The Dam Was Built
- Santa Cruz: Inundated – This Community Never Actually Achieved The Status of Village
- Sheek/Sheik Island: The Formerly Inhabited Island
- Wales: The only real Inland Village of the Lost Village, Also Settled By Soldiers Of The King's Royal Regiment of New York
- Woodlands: Inundated – The only real Trace Left May be the Site of St. Mathew's Church
Where To See The Relocated Buildings
The Lost Villages Museum In Ault Park:
Today many of the materials as well as several historic buildings from the communities are actually preserved inside a museum in Ault Park near Long Sault. The Ten Lost Villages of Ontario is really a museum focused on them in Ault Park in Ontario. The museum includes several salvaged buildings from the settlements.
- Location: Ault Park on Fran Laflamme Drive, 3km east of Long Sault, Ontario
The Lost Villages Museum hast 10 heritage buildings which were moved and restored to Ault Park in the Lost Villages and surrounding townships through the members of The Lost Villages Historical Society.
They took care to restore both their interiors and exteriors. The buildings happen to be assembled in a village-like setting.
As of the time of writing (March 2022), the museum is closed for the season – and they place to reopen in June 2022.
- Reopening: June 2022
Upper Canada Village:
More relocated buildings can be seen in Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg.
Also submerged would be a major battle site of the War of 1812 known as the Battle of Crysler's Farm. Within this battle, the British and early Canadians of around 900 soldiers successfully defended the St. Lawrence region and defeated a significantly larger force of Americans attacking with around 8,000 soldiers.
With the flooding, the Canadians moved a monument commemorating their victory to Upper Canada Village.
