 That is how the Buiksloterham (1832–1851) and Nieuwendammerham (1879) came into existence.After the opening of the North Sea Canal in 1876, the port of Amsterdam became accessible to steamers.The municipality of Amsterdam voted to begin converting northern rural areas into industry fields, a policy which was started by the establishment of the Stoomvaartmaatschappij Nederland, Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij (KNSM) and others.