The 75th anniversary of the fourth version of the 178-year-old Welland Canal will be observed this August.

Say what? Let’s try that again, but first let’s go back, way back:

Imagine Niagara Falls. Imagine a ship trying to ascend the escarpment.  Or, more fun yet, descending.

Okay, so perhaps that’s a stretch (to say nothing of a crash). But in a decided overstatement, that was the challenge confronting Canadian engineers in the 1820s when they designed the Welland Canal.

In a province then known as Upper Canada, now Ontario, construction began in 1824 to bypass the rapids and famous falls of the Niagara River between Lakes Ontario and Erie. The first edition of the canal opened to traffic in 1829 and, by 1833 there were 40 wooden locks on the 27-mile route. Vessel sizes were limited by the smallest locks: 110 by 22 feet with an 8-foot depth.

The original Welland Canal was succeeded in 1845 by a larger, second system with 27 masonry-constructed locks that were 150 by 26.5 feet with a 9-foot depth. Meanwhile, a series of similarly sized locks was built between Lake Ontario and Montreal, opening trade to the Atlantic Ocean.

Then came the third Welland Canal, partially opened in 1881 and fully operational by 1887. It had 26 stone-built locks, 270 by 45 feet. The depth was to have been 12 feet but was increased to 14 feet during construction.

As Great Lakes trade continued to expand and as vessel sizes increased, the Canadian government completed plans for a fourth canal in 1912. Construction started in 1913, but the outbreak of World War I in 1914 put the project on hold. Work resumed in 1919.

The fourth Welland Canal opened in August 1932 --- and, thus, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary this year.  Commemorative events are scheduled in Port Colborne, Thorold, St. Catharines and other regional communities.

The eight locks in today’s Welland are 766 by 80 feet. Channels are maintained at a depth of 27 feet.

The Welland Canal now is officially part the St. Lawrence Seaway and is operated by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. of Cornwall, Ontario. The Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the Seaway --- whose lock dimensions were essentially patterned after the Welland Canal --- opened in 1959 and has seven locks.  Five are in Canada, two in the U.S.