Would it be hard to believe that in 1902 two
poles on this site a mere 150' each in height were the record
holders for the tallest concrete structures in the World?
As electricity dawned and became popular
throughout the early 1900's more and more supply lines had to be
strung up all over the city to feed the demand of industrial and
commercial businesses that lined the banks of the second Canal and
the downtown area of St. Catharines. At this time, the third Canal
was built and in operation, however, many businesses still resided
at the spot they had started from many years ago and didn't
relocate along side the new water way.
The Second Canal still had the odd boat travel
its waters from time to time and the boats had high masts, so the
question was asked how to get electricity from the Power Glen Power
House to the Downtown area without having wires cross over the
Canal and obstructing boats from passing by clearly. The answer was
provided by J.L. Weller, a superintendant of the Welland Canal who
designed the then record holding structures. Shortly after
finalizing the plans, the new poles were erected by the Concrete
Pole Company of St. Catharines.
Eventually the electrical lines from Power Glen
crossing the second Canal were no longer needed as the city's
electrical grid evolved. The poles were demolished in 1971 and
today there's no sign of them where they used to stand. For their
69 years in existance they were recognized as landmarks to the city
and fall under the category of achievements that are gone but not
forgotten.
EDIT: During this past Summer, an
excavation took place that un-earthed a portion of Lock #3 of the
Second Welland Canal. Thanks to this recent discovery I was able to
relocate the cache that is more accurate to the actual location of
the poles. Take a moment to explore and enjoy the area!
Additional notes about the Cache:
- trail may be busy at times on both sides of the water - use
stealth!
- no pen / pencil in the cache, be sure to bring your own.
- please re-hide in the same spot you found it in.
- at placement, cache contained only a log book but can
accomodate small trade items.
Thanks & enjoy!
