Welland Canal Port Maitland. With the opening of the extension, the canal stretched between the two lakes, with 40 wooden locks. The minimum lock size was , with a minimum canal depth of . Deterioration of the wood used in the 40 locks and the increasing size of ships led to demand for the Second Welland Canal, which used cut stone locks, within just a few years. In 1839 the government of Upper Canada approved the purchase of shares in the private canal company in response to the company's continuing financial problems in the face of the continental financial panic of 1837.
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