Niagara Falls remains a go-to weekend getaway for us. Not much more than hour’s drive and the relative seasonal cheapness of a hotel room is something that brings us back. But, there’s only so many photos and video you can take of the same spot. Especially, when that spot is world renowned and has been photographed a billion times.
So, on a recent visit in February, 2019, I ventured out in the early hours to get video and photos from nearby Fort Erie and Welland. Ft. Erie provided a mediocre sunrise over the Buffalo, New York skyline (we’ll look at that in an upcoming article). Welland, Ontario provided a driving tour video for our YouTube Channel and a reason to go back for more indepth photography at a later date.
Welland, Ontario Driving Tour Video
The video below tours the downtown core of Welland, entering from the east on Main Street. We cross the abandoned section of the Welland Canal (more on that below) via the non-operating Welland Canal Bridge 13. This lift bridge has not had a ship pass beneath since 1972.
We return on Division Street before joining up with Main Street heading back east toward Niagara Falls. The video ends after traveling under the tunnel beneath the Welland By-Pass.
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Welland, Ontario
The city was settled in 1788 and was incorporated as a village in 1858. When the canal was in its infancy, the settlement was called Aqueduct. Welland was incorporated as a city in 1917. The current population of 52,000 has grown little since the early 1970’s. Coincidentally, the Welland By-Pass, taking the canal away from the centre of town, opened in 1973.
Welland is just 25 kilometres from Niagara Falls and around 30 KM from Fort Erie. By road, the city is 134 KM from downtown Toronto, Ontario. That distance would be a lot shorter if Lake Ontario didn’t get in the way.
Welland Bridge
Dominating the downtown and visible throughout much of the driving tour video is the Welland Canal Bridge 13. This is also known as the Welland Main Street Bridge or simply the Welland Bridge.
The lift bridge was opened in 1930. The length is 71 metres or 232 feet and spans an abandoned section of the Welland Canal. The last ship to pass beneath was in 1972, just prior to the By-Pass opening. Since, it has been locked permanently in the lowered position.
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is currently version number 4. The waterway spans 27 miles or 43 kilometres. The route allows ships to pass safely between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie while by-passing the Niagara River and the obvious challenges there.
There are now eight locks. The original version had 40. The original was completed in 1829 and first connected to Welland in 1833. As mentioned, at the time the settlement was named Aqueduct.
Construction began on the current canal in 1913. After disruption from World War I, the waterway was opened in 1932. The newest version is officially dubbed the Welland Ship Canal.
The Welland By-Pass was built between 1967 and 1972 and was opened for the 1973 shipping season. The abandoned stretch of canal that passes through the heart of the city was converted to the Welland Recreational Waterway. This is also known as, simply, ‘The Old Canal’.
A Word On This Recent Weekend Trip
The incredible amount of greed, along with nickel and diming is increasingly making Niagara Falls a not so pleasurable place to visit. Never, ever take a price in this place at face value. In fact, you nearly need to double it. If a hotel room is advertised for $100 per night, you will probably come out with a bill for closer to $200 once parking fees, facilities fees and other weird and wonderful fees are tacked on.
Here’s an example how you will get royally hosed. East Side Marios is a well known Italian food chain. A chain should have consistency, right? At the ESM in Niagara Falls, a ‘build your own’ 2 topping pizza is $26.99. At the same restaurant but in the Greater Toronto Area, that pizza is just $16.99. Ouch.
As a regular customer of Recipe Unlimited Corporation brands (Milestones, Swiss Chalet, Harveys, Kelsey’s, Montanas, etc.), and as a shareholder in the parent company, I really have to share my disappointment with this type of gouging.
As for Fort Erie, this could be a photographer’s must-stop. The Peace Bridge is quite iconic and photogenic with the water rushing past its pillars. The waterflow is quite unique as Lake Erie fast funnels into the Niagara River. And then, there’s Buffalo. The skyline of Buffalo, New York is actually quite photogenic.
