Wetting Our Feet in Sault Ste. Marie

Today was our first day in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  Anglophones pronounce it, "Soo Saint Marie," and Francophones pronounce it, "So San' Marie."  It means "St. Mary's Rapids" in French, and its name is taken from the wide rapids descending over 20 feet where the St. Mary's River joins Lake Superior to Lake Huron.  It has a sister city in the U.S.:  Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  The two cities had been one until the treaty marking the end of the War of 1812, when the border between the U.S. and Canada was established in this area.  The two cities are still joined by the International Bridge, which is a major border crossing between Canada and the U.S.

Native American settlements, mostly of Ojibwe-speaking peoples, existed here for more than 500 years. In the late 17th century, French Jesuit missionaries established a mission at the First Nations village. This was followed by development of a fur trading post and larger settlement, as traders, trappers and Native Americans were attracted to the community.  The North West Fur Trading Company established a fur trading post south of this area before 1791 and moved it here in 1797 when England abandoned what is now the U.S. Midwest.  The trading post became a Hudson's Bay Trading Post when the two companies merged in 1821.

The area focused on fur trading, logging, farming and other supporting activities until 1895, when Canada constructed the Sault Ste. Marie navigation system, which included a canal and locks to permit boats to move between Lake Superior and Lake Huron despite the rapids.  Eventually, the U.S. constructed similar, larger locks on the U.S. side of the St. Mary's River.  The U.S. locks overshadowed the Canadian one, which was closed in 1987 as a result of damage from a ship collision with the lock structure.  Eventually, the Canadian lock was rebuilt and opened for recreational boating use in 1998.  The lock property includes a museum and has been designated as a National Historic Site.

We were curious about the riverfront and Canal Historic Site, so we drove down, parked at the Visitor Center, and walked along the St. Mary's River Boardwalk, which runs along the river.  Here, David is standing at the western end of the boardwalk, with some of the lock and hydroelectric power facilities in the background:

We stopped for lunch at a waterfront grill, where Kathy made friends with some fisherman.  One of them was photographing the others just as they brought in a pretty large fish!

The U.S. shore of the St. Mary's River, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, were easily visible across the river:

After lunch, we walked over to the locks and took the opportunity to hike out toWhitefish Island, which had been inhabited by the Ojibwe peoples for centuries before the Europeans settled the area.  The First Nation people had fished the rapids from time immemorial, and claimed the island and rapids as part of their ancestral lands.  While the island was expropriated by the Canadian Government in the first part of the 20th Century, it eventually was returned to the original First Nation occupants' tribe.

Whitefish Island is circled by a hiking trail, linking several viewing platforms.  To get to them, we had to wade across a portion of the island where the waters of the St. Mary's River and its rapids had returned to reclaim territory:

Here is one of the viewing platforms, surrounded by the borders of the rapids:

The rapids themselves are impressive.  While they are not gigantic in size, the water flows over them at life-threatening speeds:

Above the rapids, the International Bridge vibrates with traffic crossing between the countries.  Behind it is a railroad bridge as well:

As we continued our hike around the island, we headed into the interior.  We flushed a heron, who flew off scolding us all the way.  Further on, we encountered a group of ducks enjoying their afternoon siesta:

The interior of the island has a few picturesque ponds with adjoining wetlands, and they are picturesque from every angle:

By the time we returned to our car from our walk, we had covered about five miles.  The weather was hot and humid, and we were happy to get back to our campground and cool off, dreaming of more adventures in this area in the coming week.