The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project: An Oral History of the Greatest Construction Show on Earth

by Claire Puccia Parham

The culmination of a century-long dream to link the Great Lakes interior industrial hubs to the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project stands as one of the largest and most important public works’ initiatives of the twentieth century. Seen as vital to North American commerce and strategic in advancing America’s position on the world stage, the billion dollar seaway and power dam were also a phenomenal feat of engineering involving an unprecedented level of cooperation between Canadian and American agencies and the unrelenting efforts of workers on both sides of the border. Dubbed the greatest construction show on earth, the largest waterway and hydro dam project ever jointly built by two nations consisted of seven locks, the widening of various canals, the taming of rapids, and the erection of the 3216-foot long, 195.5-foot high Robert Moses – Robert H. Saunders Power Dam.

In this book, Claire Puccia Parham reveals the human side of the project in the words of its engineers, laborers, and carpenters. Drawing on firsthand accounts, she provides a vivid portrait of the lives of the men who built the seaway and the women who accompanied them. On the fiftieth anniversary of the dedication of the power dam and waterway, this book is a fitting tribute to the hard work and dedication of the project’s 22,000 workers.

328 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As interesting as it was - the oral remembrances of the workers - from the engineers and heavy equipment operators to the general laborers some hired from the local areas - as well as their spouses, it eventually got boring and repetitious.

Great wages and long hours. Wives had basically nothing to do save take care of kids and party with the other wives. Overtime was abundant. The townspeople were very suspicious and unwelcoming at first. Canadian companies were more familiar with the canal and/locks construction since they had already built several already along the St. Lawrence but that wasn't the way that the Americans built since they were more focused on the power plants/dams. The engineers that came from other job - Hungry Horse in Montana, the Tennessee Valley Authority and others. The limited housing available. Savings for college education and/or a house. The mud that literally caked heavy machinery/equipment and ruined it far quicker than operators ever seen before.

What was far more interesting was the facts that it took nearly 50 years from the initial proposal of constructing a set of locks as well as the power generation dams before it was finally approved by both sets of governments and construction started. Then it took "only" 5 years while preventing flooding from the river and not blocking access between Lake Ontario and the Atlantic.

Sadly, the lock chambers were constructed so narrow that with the larger cargo carriers utilized today, they are unable to squeeze into the enclosures and move between the Great Lakes and the ocean. Some modification had been performed but the life of the entire project was supposedly fifty years so this is part of the aging infrastructure that is plaguing the world and the United States.

2022-139

[Lupinelady99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and learned a few things that I did not know even living with the project in my backyard and part of my life.