First Welland Canal points on the Lake Erie shore, and also offered a natural harbour for the ships waiting to enter the canal. The new part of the canal was to run in a fairly straight line, except for a stretch where it followed a local ravine and a creek to minimise required excavation of hard rock in the area. The Welland Canal Company obtained a loan of 50,000 pounds from the Province of Upper Canada. Construction started soon after, but it was delayed by rain, difficulty in clearing land, and a cholera outbreak in 1832. Neither the Wainfleet Marsh nor the rock
First Welland Canal south of it were easy to dig in, but work was accelerated during mild weather of late 1832 and early 1833. On June 1, 1833, the schooner "Matilda", headed for Cleveland from Oakville, became the first ship to travel through the new channel. Overall, the combined Welland and Feeder Canals stretched between the two lakes, with 40 wooden locks. The minimum lock size was 33.5 m by 6.7 m (110 ft by 22 ft), with a minimum canal depth of 2.4 m (8 ft). Today, very little of the First Canal is evident. Much of the Feeder Canal, however is