In the early twentieth century a movement flourished in the Midwestern states bordering the Great Lakes to champion the St. Lawrence route as the answer to easily transporting goods in and out of the centre of the continent. Internal rivalries in the United States and Canada held back the project for fifty years until Canada suddenly decided to build a seaway alone, pressuring the American Congress to co-operate. The building of the Seaway and its completion in 1959, involved engineering on an unprecedented scale and significant human dislocation. During construction, communities along the Great Lakes planned for increased prosperity, but changes in transportation, aging infrastructure, and environmental problems have mean that "the Golden Dream" has not been fully realized, even today.

This popular history chronicles the rise of one of the great engineering projects in Canadian history and its controversial impact on the people living along the St. Lawrence River.

Rosa Jordan's previous novels for young people, The Last Wild Place, The Goatnappers, and Lost Goat Lane, won or were nominated for numerous awards, including the 2007 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle Readers distinction, the Red Maple Award, and the Chocolate Lily Award. She grew up in the Florida Everglades and now lives in Rossland, British Columbia, in the Monashee Mountains.

Ronald Stagg's profile page

Its a solid political history account, emphasizing trade and commerce, defence and nation building as key drivers behind the seaways construction and growth.

Canada's History magazine

The Golden Dream is an enjoyable read

Ontario Historical Society Bulletin