The Sault Ste. Marie locks between Lakes superior and Huron serve as a vital gateway for Great Lakes' shipping. It's a delightful fringe benefit that people get to enjoy watching gargantuan freighters slip into the locks as tightly as a foot into a slipper.

Each year, under the gaze of an army of visitors, 15,000+ vessels pass through the locks. If you make a pilgrimage to view the nautical spectacle, you'll find plenty else to do, including making your own passage through the locks on an excursion boat. In all of America, there is no place where so much quiet history prevails.

Why A Canal?

A geological quirk of nature caused Lake Superior to have an elevation 20 feet higher than Lake Huron, into which superior flows. Another accident of nature caused the St. Marys river not to flow gradually over its 63-mile length. Instead, a drop occurs in a stretch of water three-quarters of a mile long and a quarter mile wide.

A plan to build a canal here was proposed in 1788. In 1797, the Northwest Company, trade concessionaire for the region, built a primitive lock on the Canadian side. It served for 15 years, until destroyed by American troops during the war of 1812.

Without a canal, ships were portaged around the rapids using mules, men, grease and logs. By 1850, however, this improvisation could no longer do. Copper mining in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was developing; also, the iron ore deposits there were known to be almost inexhaustible. However, the exploitation of these resources was held in check by the shipping blockade at Sault Ste. Marie.

After years of intense labor, on April 19, 1855, a powder blast broke through the wall of earth that separated the new Sault Ste. Marie canal from Lake Superior. On June 18, the steamer Illinois headed the procession of ships that made its way through the canal.

An event more indicative of the canal's role in history occurred on August 17. That day, the brig Columbia, carrying iron ore, passed through the locks on its way down to the Cuyahoga river and the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company.

This was the first shipment in a trade that would reach an annual 100 million tons a century later.

What To See And Do.

The Soo locks form the last of 16 water steps in the St. Lawrence seaway system, linking Lake Superior with the Atlantic ocean. Ships flying the flags of many nations pass through the locks during the shipping season.

Translated as "Big Cape," Gros Cap is where Lake Superior is said to end and the Saint Marys river to begin. Located at the end of Hwy. 550, a trail leads to an overlook 650 feet above the lake. All ships entering and leaving the Sault Ste. Marie facility pass by this immense ridge. It is an impressive sight to stand there and watch the international nautical procession pass by.

In the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center, which is located in Locks Park along west Portage Avenue, a working model of the locks can be viewed. the Center's overhead video continually announces the arrival of the next ship.

Outside, one can climb an observation platform to watch freighters move through one of mankind's great engineering feats. Visitors thrill to the foreign flags of many nations that fly above the wheelhouse as ships squeeze through.

The heart of the Soo experience is to be found aboard a tour boat as it travels through the locks. Tours run May 15 to October 15, starting at 9 a.m. After "locking through," the two-hour boat tour sails upriver to the foot of the st. Marys rapids-the "sault," or "jump," which is the namesake for the Michigan city and its Ontario sister.

Islands dot the waters of lake Huron, from Sault Ste. Marie southward to De Tour, Michigan, and then west to St. Ignace. Of these, Mackinac is the best known.

Mackinac Island clings to the past, when it was a place where the wealthy vacationed. Visitors to Mackinac Island find the lack of gasoline-powered vehicular traffic invigorating. Walking, bicycling and horseback riding provide excellent sightseeing and exercise opportunities. Persons who are less inclined to physically exert themselves find the island's horse-drawn carriages a delightful way to get around.

On the Michigan-canadian border, a mile of water plays an important role in the industrial economy of North America. From the days of the early fur traders, the inland waterway from the St. Lawrence river to the great lakes has long been a vital commercial route. The rapids at Sault Ste. Marie were an obstacle to the canoes and later steamers that transported industrial and commercial products. Construction of a series of locks here was an important step in promoting development of America's heartland. A visit here is both entertaining and educational. 

By Mary Syvett