From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 24 of 36
Big Ships Pass Through the Lock
1959
The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. Its locks raise or lower big ships on the way between Montréal and the Great Lakes. A lock is a little like an elevator for boats!
Look together
Where are the lock gates?
An idea to try
At the sink or on a table, set a small plastic bowl in a large empty dish. Slowly pour water around it: the bowl floats and rises. Your child explains why the “boat” goes up. Stay close by during water play.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Seaway opened to navigation on April 25, 1959. Its official inauguration took place on June 26 with Elizabeth II and Dwight Eisenhower. Canals and locks overcome differences in water level; a ship can rise or descend depending on its direction of travel.
A still drawing cannot tell us which way the water is moving. Find the chamber, gates and ship instead; these are the parts of the mechanism to explain.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
Simplified lock and ship; no reproduction of the royal yacht or of the actual Saint-Lambert lock.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Radio-Canada — L’ouverture royale de la Voie maritime du Saint-Laurent (in French)Official opening on June 26, 1959, at Saint-Lambert by Queen Elizabeth II and President Eisenhower aboard the Britannia; opened to shipping on April 25, 1959.
- The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation — The SeawayOpened to shipping on April 25, 1959, and officially opened on June 26; the role of the locks between Montréal and the Great Lakes.
Page prepared on September 19, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
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