Navigation season
Lake Ontario, period 1867-1886
The British Whig (Kingston, ON), April 13, 1887 reported: NAVIGATION RESUMED. The steamer Pierrepont reached Garden Island today. She made a start yesterday and had a hard tug breaking the ice. She has now resumed her daily trips. We give the following information respecting the opening and closing of navigation:
1867 April 8 --- Dec. 18
1868 March 31 --- Dec. 24
1869 April 17 --- Jan. 8
1870 April 13 --- Dec. 31
1871 March 16 --- Dec. 25
1872 April 22 --- Dec. 22
1873 April 14 --- Jan. 14
1874 March 28 --- Jan. 5
1875 April 19 --- Dec. 23
1876 April 18 --- Dec. 20
1877 April 9 --- Jan. 8
1878 March 11 --- Jan. 2
1879 April 21 --- Dec. 28
1880 March 23 --- Dec. 21
1881 April 12 --- Jan. 12
1882 March 7 --- Jan. 4
1883 April 19 --- Dec. 31
1884 April 11 --- Dec. 31
1885 April 28 --- Jan. 8
1886 April 9 --- Dec. 29
Added by British Whig (Kingston, ON), April 11, 1888
1887 April 18 --- December 30
1888 April 11 ---
When the date of closing occurs in January it is in the following year. For instance the season of 1885 was from April 28th, 1885 to Jan. 8th, 1886.
Anecdotally, the same newspaper (British Whig) wrote on 8 October 1906 : "Canal Open Sundays - Port Colborne. Superintendent Weller announces that the Welland canal will remain open for navigation all day on Sunday for the balance of the season." A remnant of the "old days", when even sailors were given a chance to rest, giving way to commercial interests?