One of the earliest threats to the authority of the newly confederated dominion of Canada was the creation of a Metis/Bilingual provisional government for the Red River Settlement headed by
Louis Riel. Riel and his supporters, rabidly opposed the impending transfer of Red River lands, previously held by the
Hudson's Bay Company, to the Dominion of Canada by 1870, without the consent of the current residents. While a second set of terms of transfer were negotiated by the Canadian Government that included the residents of the Red River, a military force was sent to the Red River several weeks after the transfer was to take place, in order to ensure that everything would occur without incident. This force of 1200 was commanded by Colonel Garnet Wolseley and it was to have travelled to the Red River by water, bypassing
the great rapids at Sault Ste. Marie, with the permission of the American government, through the newly constructed canal on the American side of the border. The Americans however refused to allow passage, obstensibly denying the request because it was a military expedition. It has been suggested that the Americans not-to-secretly supported the Red River Rebellion since they felt it would splinter the new British dominion, making it easier for the Americans to annex the Canadian west. The refusal to allow passage resulted in a delay for the Wolseley force, but the refusal also exposed an embarrassing dependence on a potentially hostile government for basic transport. It was soon after decided that the Canadian side required it's own canal.
The canal officially opened in 1895.
