I had the pleasure of spending a few hours in Sault St. Marie recently. There’s two versions of the city, one in each country, though the only Canadian image I have here is the last one. This was nothing much more than a scouting trip—I hope to get back to get a train crossing the international bridge soon.
In any case, I tried to cobble together some information that will help with the interpretation of the images...
The Soo Locks exist to negate a 21-foot elevation difference from Lake Superior to that of Huron. Construction began at this location in 1855 by the Fairbanks Scale Company. Due to the scale of the operation and upkeep needed, the government took over control in 1881. There are two other locks on the United States side beyond the ones I will mention here...
The McArthur lock is the closest to the viewing area; in the first image we see the Hiawatha, owned and operated by the Soo Locks Boat Tours, a company that dates from 1934. The McArthur Lock was built in 1943—to help with the extensive war effort—as iron ore had to be transported to mills down stream. I believe I heard at that the McArthur Lock can refill in eleven minutes, which is miraculous. The Poe Lock is the second one away from the observation area; the first iteration of this lock was built in 1896; it was rebuilt in 1968.
I was able to catch a couple of ships approaching the McArthur Lock: the first being the CSL St. Laurent. A relatively new ship, it was built in 2014; it’s 740 feet long. The Saginaw came along after, but had to pause for its turn in the lock. That ship, a traditional “laker”, launched in 1953 as the third iteration of the John J. Boland. A new owner renamed it the Saginaw in 1999 in honor of the river of the same name.
In addition to the four locks on the American side, there is a small one on the Canadian side that is used for recreational and tour boats. I photographed an ancient building over there, which is near, but may not be associated with, the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site. Informational plaques at this site tells us that the very first lock was built on the Canadian side in 1797, but was destroyed in the War of 1812.
Five images by Richard Koenig; taken August 21st 2019.
