Between the mid-nineteenth century and the Great Depression of the twentieth, Montreal was transformed from a small colonial town into Canada's leading metropolis. Waterworks, telephone, gas and electrical systems were laid, the Lachine canal was widened and deepened, and the port installations completely rebuilt and greatly expanded. The Victoria Bridge crossing the mighty St Lawrence River was completed in 1860 and the transcontinental railways spanned the nation by the late 1880s, which opened up the west and created new markets. People flocked into the city from the countryside to work in the burgeoning industries, to be joined by ever increasing numbers of immigrants.