Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Water Street Businesses in the Late 1800s

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 3, 2023

1. Water Street Businesses in the Late 1800s Marker

Inscription. By the late 1880s, business was booming on Water Street. Railroad lines had come, a water power plant had been constructed at the rapids, and a second lock had been built. Sault Ste. Marie was incorporated as a city in 1887.

After a fire destroyed many Water Street businesses in 1886, more substantial, fireproof structures. were built on Portage Avenue and southward along Ashmun Street. But some businesses still remained on Water Street in 1896. The Prenzlauer family had three buildings there, and in 1888 the showpiece Sault Ste. Marie National Bank was built. None of them survived a huge fire in 1896, and when later lock improvements were announced at the turn of the century, buildings that had survived on the north side of Water Street were taken over by the federal government and demolished.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 46° 30.095′ N, 84° 20.87′ W. Marker is in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in Chippewa County. It is at the intersection of West Water Street and Osborn Boulevard, on the right when traveling

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west on West Water Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 240 W Portage Ave, Sault Sainte Marie MI 49783, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and on Lake Superior’s South Shore Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Sault Ste. Marie (within shouting distance of this marker); Saw Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Making a Grand Entrance (within shouting distance of this marker); Governor Chase S. Osborn Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); James R. Barker (about 400 feet away); St. Marys Falls Canal (about 400 feet away); Edgar B. Speer (about 400 feet away); Early Hotels on Water Street (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 3, 2023

2. Water Street Businesses in the Late 1800s Marker

of all markers in Sault Ste. Marie.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 225 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 18, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.