City of the Rapids: Sault Ste. Marie's Heritage

by Bernie Arbic

This book is a comprehensive history of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for the four hundred years from 1600 to 2000. Starting with the first European contact by French explorers and Jesuit missionaries (who gave the present-day city its name 350 years ago), the author shows how the St. Marys River and its huge rapids at the Sault have shaped, and continue to influence, the development of the area. Ample quotes from primary sources such as the Jesuit Relations in the earliest period and the American Fur Company papers in the nineteenth century add flavor and flesh out the story of the interplay of the Native American, French, English, and American people who have called this area home, and shaped its modern-day culture.In seventeenth century French, the word “sault” meant “rapids” and the Jesuit name “le Sault de Sainte Marie” literally means “the rapids of St. Mary.” That explains why the city is colloquially referred to as “the Sault” (phonetically “the Soo”). Its location on the border between the United States and Canada made it a logical place for an early U.S. Army fort. Fort Brady was built in 1822, and remained active until 1946. This military presence ensured that people from distant parts of the country found their way to the area, and added to the cultural mix.Because the St. Marys River (tradition has led to the spelling St. Marys, rather than St. Mary’s) connects Lakes Superior and Huron, it has been an important “highway” for centuries. Birchbark canoes such as the Ojibwa people built were the only craft to ply its waters until the early nineteenth century. They were also used extensively by hardy French voyageurs, whose role in the development of the upper Great Lakes is another colorful thread of area history. There is a twenty foot difference in the levels of Lake Superior and Lake Huron, most of which occurs at the rapids at Sault Ste. Marie. The exploitation of rich deposits of copper and iron ore in the western Upper Peninsula provided the impetus to build a ship canal and locks to handle that difference. The first locks capable of handling cargo ships were built at the Sault by the state of Michigan; they opened in 1855, and since that time, a series of ever-larger locks have been built, and then rendered obsolete as larger and larger lake freighters were designed and built. Today the “super carriers” are 1,000 feet long and 105 feet wide; only one of the two locks currently operational in 2019—the Poe Lock—can handle them. Since the maritime history is such a big part of Sault Ste. Marie’s past, it is covered extensively in City of the Rapids. An especially important time period for that aspect of Sault history was during World War II, when about 90% of the steel produced in the United States was made with iron ore that moved by ship from Minnesota and Upper Michigan through the Soo Locks, to steel mills on the lower lakes. Sault Ste. Marie was one of the most heavily defended areas of the country because of the critical importance of the locks; over 7,000 troops were stationed at Fort Brady during the early part of WWII.The book contains over 120 illustrations—mostly photographs from the late 1800s and through mid-century 1900s—but also several maps and drawings. It is fully indexed, with a bibliography containing 54 publications. Michigan historian Larry Massie (who is co-owner of Priscilla Press, which first published the book in 2003) described the book this “Historians and the general public, alike, have been writing nearly half a century for this book.”

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Michelle Monticello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a detailed history of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. While very detailed, it is made highly readable by the inclusion of many interesting stories and anecdotes. I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in the area and/or has relatives and ancestors who lived there.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at the River of History Museum in Sault Ste Marie. It is easy to read and covers many details of local history. Next time I'm at the Soo, I'll have to explore a bit more of the topics covered.