Above is a view from our campground in Sault Ste. Marie (affectionately called "da Soo" by the locals. There are two working locks as in the picture below that were just a short distance to the West from our campground. So we enjoyed watching these huge freighters pass by on their way back up to Lake Superior or down to Lake Huron. It's a 20 foot drop between these two lakes. 4400 ships a year travel through these 2 locks. On the Canadian side, there is a smaller lock just for pleasure boats. There are 4 locks, but two are no longer used because they are not big enough for the large freighters. Michigan is hoping that the Federal Government will come up with the money to combine the 2 non-operational locks and make one that will be able to handle the large ships.
Below is one of the larger freighters entering the lock. This ship was a little over 1000 feet long.
The locks operate the same for large and small boats like this Coast Guard boat just entering the lock.
The first lock was completed around 1850. Below is the second lock that was completed in 1896.
We toured a freighter that was dry-docked and made into a museum. The name of the boat was the Valley Camp. It seemed huge on the inside, but was actually very small in comparison to the 1000 footers.
Our tour group on the top deck with our guide. Most of the freighters carry iron ore. These compartments all open up to load the ore.
A view of the Valley Camp from a tower in down town Sault Ste Marie. I climbed 392 steps to get this picture. They had an elevator, but I took the challenge to climb.
Cliff standing on the front deck of the Valley Camp watching yet another freighter going by.
A view of the down town area and the locks from the tower.
We enjoyed a dinner cruise through the locks with are traveling friends.
Below, this power plant was built back in 1905. The water flows through a man-made canal at 6-7 miles and hour. Each opening had a turbine turned by the flow of water. It is still operational.
Everyone has to take a picture of the locks opening up. This was on the Canadian side.
Point Iroquois Light Station just West of Sault Ste. Marie. This dates back to 1870. A lady that was born and raised in the lighthouse, in the 1920's, wrote about her experiences living here and the operation of the light house. Her father was the lighthouse keeper.
The history of this Upper Peninsula area was very interesting. The French had control of the whole region from 1671-1763. Then the British from 1763-1814 when the US took control. Of course they all had to learn to live among the Indians. Sault Ste. Marie is a French word meaning rapids on the St. Mary (river).
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