Most transportation historians date the history of Canada's railways as beginning on February 25, 1832, with the incorporation of British North America's first steam-powered railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad. This line opened for traffic on July 21, 1836, although there are cases of animal-drawn mining tramways in Nova Scotia from the 18th century onward. Streetcar and interurban railways were chartered provincially, in the case of Ontario under the Street Railway Act. Also consult the list of active Canadian railways.